Number of prisoners being released into homelessness increases by a third in a year

The number of people released from prison into homelessness has risen 30 per cent in a year despite a major new scheme to house departing offenders, The Independent can reveal.

- ANDY GREGORY

New government figures laying bare the dire state of prisons in England and Wales outline record levels of self-harm, soaring violence and worsening overcrowding in what campaigners have dubbed a “crisis of human misery behind bars”.

With the previous government freeing more than 10,000 prisoners up to 70 days early since October in an urgent bid to free up space, analysis of the latest Ministry of Justice figures by this publication found the number of inmates left homeless has soared – risking a “revolving door” back into prison.

The new data shows 9,210 inmates were released into homelessness or rough sleeping in the year to March, rising from 7,055 the previous year – accounting for 13.1 per cent of all 70,000 prison releases, up from 11.3 per cent the previous year.

This included 755 women, a rise of 38 per cent on the previous year. The number of people released into other unsettled or transient accommodation – such as temporarily living with friends or family – also rose from 7,725 to 9,565 over the same period.

Experts said the rise was partly due to the “chaotic” early release scheme and warned homelessness raises the risk of reoffending by around 50 per cent – confounding efforts to free up prison cells.

Inspectors recently highlighted the case of a high-risk prisoner with a recent history of suicidal thoughts and self-harm, who was released from segregation into homelessness under the early release scheme despite staff appealing against it. He was recalled to prison just days later.

For some, prison is better than rough sleeping. Two former inmates described reoffending in order to return to jail “because at least I had support and a bed”. They feared ending up in an even worse situation on the streets.