Responding to the Government’s measures to address prison overcrowding

In response to the announcement from Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood on the Government’s measures to address prison overcrowding, Abigail Ampofo, Interim CEO at Refuge said:

“Refuge is pleased to hear that the Government have listened to our calls to exempt domestic abuse offenders from measures to address prison overcrowding, something we have urgently been calling for since the scheme was originally introduced in October 2023.

It is important that as well as serious violent offences and sex offences that the Government are including the automatic exclusion of prisoners with domestic abuse connected crimes from temporary plans to reduce the proportion of custodial sentences served in prison from 50% to 40%. We have long spoken of the significant threat to domestic abuse survivors if their perpetrators are released early. Domestic abuse-related offences are crimes with one of the highest re-offending rates, and current risk assessment of perpetrators and protections for survivors are not good enough.

We are relieved to see the Government acknowledge the impact and danger of coercive control and outline that offenders who have committed coercive control will be exempt from the new custodial rules, alongside those convicted of stalking offences, non-fatal strangulation and suffocation and those who have breached protective orders in relation to domestic abuse such as Restraining Orders, Non-Molestation Orders, and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders.

We recognise the swiftness that this Government have made to take action and work with the VAWG (violence against women and girls) sector to mitigate the risks to survivors. We look forward to continuing to work with the Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood and the Ministry of Justice to outline further concerns we have about the impact of prison overcrowding. Custodial sentences provide important time for survivors to access support and safety plan. It is therefore also essential that safeguards are implemented for survivors where offenders have a history of domestic abuse, regardless of whether that is what they have been sentenced for. The prison and probation service must work together with specialist support services to ensure survivors are safe in advance of a perpetrator’s release.”