Badenoch urges public support for prison-building amid Labour’s early release debate
Kemi Badenoch has urged members of the public to support prison-building in their area amid a row over Labour’s plan to release some criminals early, reports BritPanorama.
Just days after Andy Burnham announced plans to pause the early release scheme, Badenoch appealed to the public, stating, “If everybody says ‘no prison near me’, we won’t get these built.”
The Conservative Party leader has called for Burnham to go beyond merely pausing the plans and instead change the law to expedite the construction of new prison facilities.
Under changes in the Sentencing Act, around 6,000 offenders were set to be released early in September after serving only one-third of their sentence, rather than half, in an effort to alleviate prison overcrowding.
During a press conference, Badenoch emphasized the urgency of increasing prison places, stating, “We need to build new prison places more quickly and cheaply. This will cost money but it also needs communities to be supportive of prisons being built around them.” She highlighted that judicial reviews had previously delayed prison construction.
Additionally, Badenoch proposed solutions including renting prison spaces overseas and transferring foreign offenders to their home countries. “This was something we were doing in government,” she noted, referencing practices similar to those between Sweden and Estonia.
She further argued that the UK must consider leaving the European Convention on Human Rights to facilitate the removal of certain offenders. Badenoch accused Burnham of inactivity regarding the early release programme, insisting that if he were truly serious about a pause, he would need to revoke the commencement order and implement emergency legislation by September 2.
In response, Burnham stated he is committed to minimizing public risk but pointed to the Conservative government’s shortcomings in addressing prison capacity. “It is a challenging situation, and we shouldn’t actually be in this position as a country. But we have to deal with the reality of where we are,” he remarked.
He reiterated that the pause on the early release policy was initiated soon after taking office and that a comprehensive review is underway.
Reforms to the Sentencing Act were introduced after prisons approached critical overcrowding levels, which, as former Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warned last year, could jeopardize law and order.
Badenoch acknowledged the complexities surrounding prison conditions but asserted her party has never supported the early release of serious offenders, contrasting with previous practices during their time in power when they created 14,000 new prison places.
Burnham’s pledge that “no prisoners will be let out under this policy” comes as the government faces scrutiny over its recent policy changes, particularly following revelations regarding two individuals linked to the tragic death of PC Andrew Harper, who could qualify for early release under the new scheme.
PC Harper, who was 28, died after being dragged for a mile by a vehicle while responding to a burglary in Berkshire in 2019. His widow, Lissie Harper, condemned the early release policy as “deplorable,” highlighting the real implications of political decisions on victims’ families.
The ongoing debate encapsulates broader issues surrounding criminal justice reform, prison capacity, and public safety in the UK today.
