Labour risks snatching justice from thousands of victims of crime - we cannot allow that to happen
The Shadow Justice Minister has spoken out on Labour's early release scheme, which could even see grooming gang members allowed back onto the streets
The Shadow Justice Minister has spoken out on Labour's early release scheme, which could even see grooming gang members allowed back onto the streets
Can you imagine if you were the victim of a serious crime – as serious as rape or sexual assault – and receiving a letter from the Government telling you that the perpetrator who harmed you is going to be let out of prison early?
What’s worse, they can’t tell you when or if they will be released for certain. Just that they might be.
Imagine you had been through a harrowing trial, reliving what happened to you, anxious about whether the jury believed you and waiting to see what the sentence would be.
I know all too often the sentences given for serious crimes aren’t long enough but if they were sent to prison you could begin the process of trying to get back to normal, knowing the date they were due to come out.
Then suddenly all that has changed. They are now getting out years earlier than you were told they would.
Appallingly, this is the experience of thousands of victims of some of the most serious crimes imaginable right now. As a result of changes Labour has made to sentencing laws, thousands of serious sexual and violent offenders are entitled to get out of prison early. Rape, sexual assault, manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving and child grooming are just some of the offences eligible for early release.
We all know there are challenges in our prisons. There is no denying that. This has been the case for decades. Both the last Conservative government, and the Labour government before it, had to operate early release schemes to tackle overcrowding.
But previous schemes always excluded sexual and serious violent offenders.
Labour decided not to do that. Not only that, these changes are not emergency temporary measures that can be switched on and off. They are profound, permanent changes to our sentencing laws that will make a mockery of justice for many victims and their families.
The Conservatives tried to make changes to exclude these sorts of offenders from this programme when it went through Parliament. But in the end, we were defeated by Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
But it is not too late. The releases will start in September. Labour can still change course. If you agree this is wrong, then write to your MP and ask them to speak out against this.
This week, grooming gangs campaigner Fiona Goddard spoke out after she received a letter telling her the men that raped and abused are eligible for early release. Speaking to GB News, she said that when her abusers were sentenced to between 16 and 20 years in 2019, she believed she would have the peace to rebuild her life.
Now she says "The justice I got in that courtroom is being snatched away from me.”