Jack Straw (Lord Chancellor, Ministry of Justice; Blackburn, Labour)

Assessment of risk on release is embedded in the 14 categories of offence or offender which excludes a prisoner from eligibility for ECL. Those include serious violent offences, registered sex offenders and prisoners without a release address. Full details of the scheme including advice on risk is given in Prison Service Instruction 42/2007 a copy of which is available in the Libraries of the House and on the following website:

http://psi.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/PSI_2007_42_end_of_custody_licence.doc

Prisons are instructed that they should take appropriate action in response to any information they have received that a prisoner poses a risk of domestic violence or to a specific victim on release. That information should be provided to the police and, where appropriate, submitted to the Multi Agency Pubic Protection Panel, in line with routine risk management arrangements.

Prison governors will not release those prisoners who will be subject to supervision on release to an address prohibited by their offender manager in the supervision licence. In such cases ECL release will only take place if a suitable alternative address is provided. Where prisoners are subject to supervision on release, any conditions included on the normal supervision licence must also be included on the ECL licence.

There are no current plans to make any changes to the scheme. When prison population concerns allow, the Scheme will be ended.