PRT comment: Review of Sentencing Act release points

Commenting on the announcement by the Prime Minister of a review of the Sentencing Act release points, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, Pia Sinha said:

“The Prime Minister is right to take victims’ concerns seriously, but pausing these reforms does not make the prison capacity crisis disappear. These changes to release arrangements were expected to provide the single biggest reduction in demand for prison places, and there are no easy alternatives waiting in the wings. Ministers may look at other drivers of prison population growth, including the expanding recall population and pressures in the remand system, alongside measures to create additional capacity, but none of these options is straightforward and some would offer only temporary relief. The risk is that delay creates further uncertainty for victims, prisoners and staff, while leaving the underlying problem unresolved.”