Priced out of prison: The SDS40 scheme and the prison crisis
Erin Bradbury - 16 September 2024
Just this month, it was announced that there were only around 100 open cells in prisons in England and Wales. It’s a crisis that has been mounting for a while and has only been worsened by the recent riots. So, under an emergency ‘SDS40 scheme’ announced in July, offenders with standard determinate sentences will be released after serving 40% of their time. Under this measure, 5,500 prisoners serving five years or less will be released over two months starting from 10 September, and those who have served sentences of five years or more will be released from 22 October. The government insists those who have been convicted of serious violent or sexual offences will not be let out early as part of this scheme.
Cost has undeniably played a part in the prison crisis. The BBC reports that, on average, it costs £49,000 to lock someone up for a year, while a new cell typically costs around £600,000. Both the last Conservative and new Labour governments toyed with the idea of exporting prisoners to Estonia to serve out their sentences – a setup which has been adopted by other European countries – although this would also come at a hefty price.
Former top judges have come forward with their own recommended solutions, which include the following:
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The release of all IPP (imprisonment for public protection) prisoners and two-strike prisoners who have served their minimum sentence;
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A review of the needs and risks of older prisoners;
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Allowing release after prisoners serve half of their sentence, rather than the current minimum of two thirds;
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Regular review of indeterminate sentences;
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An increase in the size and number of open prisons to help inmates serving long sentences return to normal life;
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Prisoners serving life sentences should be allowed to move to open prisons much earlier than the current system allows.
Both the government and judges are exploring so-called radical solutions to mitigate the crisis. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has promised to “continue to lock up dangerous offenders, protect the public and reduce reoffending,” but will still “carefully consider” these proposals. The MOJ will also publish a sentencing review and 10-year strategy by the end of the year.