As 700 prisoners are released early this week, survivor safety cannot be an afterthought

Yesterday, around 700 prisoners were released under the Government’s new Progression Model – the first group to leave prison earlier under reforms designed to relieve pressure across the prison system.

Pause for a moment to think about the realities of the early release of people convicted of domestic abuse for those they have harmed. It’s not easy to call the police about an intimate partner, and more than four out of five victims never do. Going through the courts is immensely challenging, and chances of successful charging and conviction are still far too low.

The system is stretched to breaking point, and we are concerned about the impact early release will have on adult and child survivors of domestic abuse. For victim-survivors who have been through the criminal justice system, early release undermines the sense of justice that what happened to them was believed and taken seriously. For those still awaiting justice this further harms their confidence in the system.

The Government has acknowledged the need to safety plan but has failed to commit to exempting domestic abuse perpetrators from this scheme. The Government must now show that commitments to safeguarding are being delivered consistently in practice. This means ensuring clear and timely communication, and sustainable investment in specialist services supporting all victims of VAWG, including those harmed by domestic abuse.

We welcome the announcement today of survivor support measures that have been put in place. The Ministry of Justice has funded a package of support to help those affected by offender releases under the scheme. This includes a dedicated national helpline run by Victim Support, a specialist Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Hub coordinated by Women’s Aid to provide advocacy and safety planning, and additional funding to strengthen local specialist domestic abuse and VAWG services. See below for more details of how to access this support.

The impact on domestic abuse victim-survivors

Under the new model, offenders currently eligible for automatic release at 40% or 50% of their sentence may now become eligible for release after serving one-third of their sentence. Additionally, offenders currently eligible for release at two-thirds of their sentence may become eligible after serving just 50%. 

In June this year, many victim-survivors of domestic abuse received confusing and deeply distressing communications that their perpetrator may be eligible for early release. This included victim-survivors whose perpetrators: 

• Were not eligible for release under the new scheme. 

• Had only recently been sentenced. 

• Would not become eligible for release for several years. 

We know that domestic abuse does not necessarily stop when a perpetrator is imprisoned. Earlier release will bring renewed fear, a need for safety planning, and increased demand for specialist support for many victim-survivors. 

For people living with the trauma of domestic abuse, the uncertainty created by communications about early release has been a source of real fear, distress and anxiety. 

Following a review of the scheme, the Government excluded several specified offences from the changes, including rape and child sexual abuse and grooming offences. However, it did not introduce a comprehensive exemption covering perpetrators of domestic abuse. This raises several important concerns: 

• Domestic abuse remains difficult to identify and may not be visible from the offence category alone. 

• Probation risk assessments are not specific to domestic abuse. Assessing risk in domestic abuse cases is complex, and decisions about release must be informed by specialist domestic abuse expertise, survivor evidence, and a full understanding of coercive control and perpetrator behaviour. 

There are also significant concerns about Probation capacity and the implications of early release for public protection. Probation services themselves have expressed concerns about their ability to manage increasing demand. The entire system is under pressure from policing, through the courts, to probation and specialist DA support. There are clearly many working within it at all levels trying to do their best to challenge perpetrators and support survivors. We see that every day, but relying on goodwill and sticking plasters isn’t good enough.  

Safeguards must now work in practice

The Government has set out safeguards including licence conditions, electronic monitoring and restriction zones, alongside additional investment in victim support as highlighted above. These measures are welcome, but none of them can be viewed as a complete solution. 

• The exclusion for poor behaviour in custody does not address the fundamental problem that domestic abuse risk cannot be measured through prison conduct. 

• Electronic tagging and exclusion zones are only effective if they are backed by adequate Probation capacity, robust monitoring, rapid responses to breaches, and prompt recalls when licence conditions are broken. These measures can only protect survivors if they are in place from the moment of release.  

• While this funding injection is welcome, we must continue to sustainably fund victim support services, not just in moments of crisis, to meet the increased demand for safety planning, advocacy and specialist support.  

Survivor safety

Releases this week are the first of many more planned over the coming months. The Government must closely monitor the impact of the scheme and act quickly where communication, supervision or protection falls short.  

Survivor safety must remain at the heart. The pressures facing the prison service are real, but operational pressures should not be prioritised over the safety and protection of victim-survivors. We had hoped the Prime Minister would exempt perpetrators of VAWG/DA from early release, and we will continue to ask for this. In the absence of this exemption, we want to see further measures put in place to support domestic abuse victims and make sure they are not at further risk of harm. Victim-survivors of domestic abuse know the risk that their perpetrator poses and they must be consulted as part of the assessment for early release decisions.  

Confidence in the justice system among domestic abuse survivors is already low. Releasing perpetrators significantly earlier risks further undermining trust in the justice system, and sends a troubling message to the whole of society about the seriousness with which domestic abuse is treated.  

Victim-survivors of domestic abuse deserve better. They cannot be treated as an afterthought in efforts to address prison capacity after years of underinvestment in the justice system. From today, the Government must be accountable for ensuring that early release does not mean greater fear, greater uncertainty, or greater risk. The safety and wellbeing of victim-survivors, and confidence in our justice system, must remain the starting point for every decision. 

Confidence in the justice system among domestic abuse survivors is already low. Releasing perpetrators significantly earlier risks further undermining trust in the justice system, and sends a troubling message to the whole of society about the seriousness with which domestic abuse is treated.  

Victim-survivor support available

Survivors affected by the early release scheme can access: 

Victim Support’s National Offender Release Helpline: Freephone 0808 168 9280, with more information available here: www.victimsupport.org.uk/offender-release-helpline  

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, always telephone 999 and ask for the police. 

If you are not in immediate danger, you can also contact:

• National Offender Release Helpline: 0808 168 9280 
• National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 
• Men’s Advice Line: 0808 801 327 
• Galop – LGBT+ support line: 0800 999 5428 
• Rape Crisis Support Line: 0808 500 222