Question
Offender management statistics show that, so far this year in England, there have been more licence recalls than prisoner releases. Will the Secretary of State acknowledge and admit that releasing criminals in order to recall them does nothing to address overcrowding or public safety?
Answer
First of all, I would defend the principle that individuals who do not follow their licence conditions should be recalled to prison; that seems perfectly reasonable to me. The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight today that one in seven prisoners has been recalled. That is a sign that when our estate runs hot, we do not rehabilitate properly, and also a sign that significant licensing conditions have an impact.
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
The reply cites the figure that one in seven prisoners has been recalled, but it does not give the comparison the question asked for, between recalls and releases so far this year in England. It refers to prison pressure only in general terms, without saying whether recall-based releases affect overcrowding. Its defence of recall for licence breaches implies a view on public safety but never addresses the safety question directly. Across all three points the answer is hedged and partial, so the person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up for specific figures and a clear position.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the Secretary of State acknowledges that, so far this year in England, there have been more licence recalls than prisoner releases. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply cites the figure that one in seven prisoners has been recalled, but it never addresses the comparison asked for (recalls versus releases so far this year in England) and neither acknowledges nor disputes it. |
| Whether the Government accepts that releasing offenders in order to recall them does nothing to address prison overcrowding. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply touches on prison pressure with 'when our estate runs hot', but it neither accepts nor rejects the claim that recall-based releases do nothing for overcrowding, leaving the question's core point unanswered. |
| Whether the Government accepts that releasing offenders in order to recall them does nothing to address public safety. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | By defending recall for licence breaches and saying licence conditions have an impact, the reply implicitly rejects the idea that recall does nothing for public safety, but it never addresses public safety directly. |