Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood arrives for Cabinet (Image: Getty Images)
Around 150 criminals serving life sentences have been moved to open prisons since Labour took office, it has emerged.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has signed off two-thirds of transfers since August 2024, up from 10% between June 2022 and May 2023.
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Another 50 jailed for public protection, dubbed IPP sentences, have also been moved to open prisons, which have little security.
The criminals, including offenders convicted of murder and violent offences, were recommended by the Parole Board for transfer to open prisons.
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But the number of people being transferred to open prisons has increased sharply over the past year, with many attributing it to the overcrowding crisis behind bars.
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Former prison governor Ian Acheson said: “I'm a big fan of open prisons but let's be careful here.
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More than 150 prisoners on life sentences have been transferred to open prisons (Image: Getty Images)
“They are used well to prepare people coming to the end of very long sentences who have behaved well and addressed their offending behaviour. But the criteria for assessment must always be risk, not overcrowding.”
Ms Mahmood has accepted recommendations from the Parole Board and approved the transfer of 150 people serving life sentences and a further 64 offenders jailed for public protection (IPP) to open prisons since taking office.
Laura Janes, consultant solicitor and vice-chair of the Association of Prison Lawyers, told Inside Time: “Between June 2022 and May 2023, around only one in ten Parole Board recommendations were endorsed by the Secretary of State.
“Since the test changed, the proportion of recommendations accepted has increased, so that the latest data shows that over the last year, around half have been approved.
“However, what is striking is that since August 2024, almost two-thirds have been approved, suggesting a return to the administration according far greater weight and respect to the judicial findings of the Parole Board.”
The Ministry of Justice has dropped a requirement for convicts to be on ‘enhanced’ regimes for good behaviour before they can be moved into more lax surroundings up to a year before they are due to be released.
Former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland declared the MoJ must introduce “urgent” measures to bolster security, amid warnings that more criminals will vanish from the open jails.
And prison officers are warning that organised crime gang members are being moved into the estates with “no security or no perimeter”.
Justice minister Sir Nicholas Dakin revealed the figures in response to a Parliamentary written question.
He wrote: “In making a decision concerning the transfer of an indeterminate sentence prisoner to open conditions, the Secretary of State will take account of any recommendation made by the Parole Board.
“However, the Secretary of State may either reject or accept that recommendation.”
The shocking admissions come after the National Audit Office (NAO) said current prison expansion plans are "insufficient to meet future demand" amid a projected shortage of 12,400 prison places by the end of 2027, with costs expected to be at least ￡4 billion higher than initially estimated.
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The watchdog also said the then government's 2021 pledge to create an extra 20,000 cells spaces by building more prisons, temporary wings and refurbishing existing cell blocks is now not expected to be met until 2031 - around five years later than promised.
As of September, a third (6,518) of the 20,000 had been made available, according to the NAO.
Reasons behind delays include "unrealistic timelines" and overestimating the ability to get planning permission for three out of the six new prisons due to be built.
The plans are now expected to cost between ￡9.4billion and ￡10.1billion - least ￡4.2billion more than 2021 estimates amid a rise in construction prices, the report said.
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A Ministry of Justice spokesperson added: “It is right that IPP sentences were abolished.
“We recently terminated the lifetime licences of more than 1,700 rehabilitated offenders, and are improving the rehabilitation and mental health support for those still in prison.
“The Lord Chancellor considers the recommendations from the independent Parole Board as to whether to place IPP prisoners in the open estate and public safety is at the heart of any decision.”