Table 15 Early release

The complexity, bureaucracy and length of the early release process typically results in prisoners not being approved for release or dying before they do so (Baldwin & Leete, 2012; Brown, 2016; Inspector of Custodial Services, 2015; Maschi et al., 2012; Patterson et al., 2016; Peacock et al., 2018; Turner, 2018; Williams et al., 2012), with the process ‘over-focusing’ on risk despite increasing frailties (Goulding, 2013; Peacock et al., 2018; Williams et al., 2012), concern about malingering (Murray, 2004), and of foregrounding victims’ rights (Baldwin & Leete, 2012). Finding suitable alternative accommodation and establishing risk assessment protocols (Moore & Burtonwood, 2019) can be problematic. While in the USA, staff can refer to POPS (Feczko, 2014; Mackay, 2015), there is no equivalent in England and Wales. It has been suggested that human rights organisations could raise awareness of PLPWD in prison, and the complexity of the process that could enable their early release (Maschi et al., 2012)