The End of Friday Releases from Prison – Madi Levy (Intern)

As it stands, around one third of prisoners are currently released from prison on a Friday. Currently, all those whose sentence end date falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday are released on a Friday which increases the quantity of ‘Friday leavers’. Being released on a Friday can be a barrier to resettling before even returning to the community. The days following release are crucial to ensure that the individual is safe and able to continue their rehabilitative journey beyond the prison gates. Upon release individuals often need to present at their local housing authority service to gain accommodation, attend their probation induction appointment, acquire benefits at the job center and access essential healthcare such as collecting medication and receiving their addiction treatments for example methadone script. The services that people recently released from prison need to access are often closed at weekends or run a reduced service hence the individual needs to carry out all of the above. As one could imagine, after getting released from prison as late as midday the chances of accessing all the necessary services by close at the end of the working day is near impossible. This leaves ex-prisoners vulnerable and without a positive safe climate to be released to. Without essential resources such as adequate housing, medication and money over the weekend there is a large increase in the risk of rough sleeping, illicit drug use, and health crisis. Upon release from prison, individuals should be allowed to experience normality and freedom, both of which are hindered by the inaccessibility to resources on a Friday and in a way sets the prison leavers up to fail without the freedom to re-integrate into ‘normal life’ and places them at risk of losing personal liberty all over again. Overall, the chances of recidivism is very high amongst Friday leavers, which can be largely linked to the lack of community services available on a Friday which are necessary to maintain their wellbeing. 

Under a new prison reform strategy announced in June 2022, the number of people released on Friday’s from prison is to be reduced. The bill states that those with a release date of Friday through to Sunday who have additional support needs such as mental health or substance use will be released earlier in the week in order to support the individual’s dissonance from crime. The earlier release will be determined by the prison governors who can look at each case independently to one another. The Under Offenders (Day of Release from Detention) Private Members Bill, is due to come into effect in early 2023. It will hopefully act to support services to access the best new start possible for their clients with the main aim to make communities safer.