Prisoners should be allowed to jump the housing queue as part of efforts to cut crime, Sadiq Khan has said. The Telegraph has more.
The Mayor of London said that despite there being “a big shortage of housing in London”, some prisoners ought to “jump in the queue to get housing to avoid them reoffending again”.
On Tuesday, about 1,750 prisoners were freed under the Government’s early release scheme – which sees offenders freed 40% of the way through their sentence rather than halfway.
The comments come amid huge pressure on housing in the capital and an escalating homelessness crisis. In London, one in 50 are currently homeless.
However, lack of housing is one of the main reasons that those released from prison are recalled or go on to reoffend.
Prisoners released into homelessness are significantly more likely to breach their licence conditions because of missed appointments and breaking curfews. They are also more likely to succumb to a drug or alcohol addiction.
Claiming benefits and securing work is also more difficult without a permanent address, in turn raising their likelihood of returning to crime.
Martin Jones, the Chief Inspector of Probation, said that offenders freed under the Government scheme were “almost bound” to be sent back to jail “within days or weeks” because “things will go wrong in the community” and they would breach the terms of their licence.
Worth reading in full.
Great idea, Sadiq. Any other ideas for rewarding crime while you’re at it, or do you think a house after an early release should be enough?
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