Crime victims left feeling uneasy as prisoners released early, says Rutland's police and crime commissioner
Nearly £200,000 has been secured to support those affected
Crime victims across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are being left feeling "very uneasy" after discovering the people responsible for crimes against them are not serving the sentences they expected.
That's according to the area's police and crime commissioner, Rupert Matthews, who has secured almost two hundred thousand pounds in Government funding to support people affected by the early release of some prisoners.
A change to sentencing rules means some adults serving a standard prison sentence are now being released earlier than their scheduled date, in a move aimed at freeing up capacity and reducing overcrowding in prisons.
Some prisoners will now leave prison after a third of their sentence, rather than forty or fifty per cent, serving the remainder on licence in the community under probation. A second group, previously released after two thirds of their sentence, will now leave at the halfway point.
The change does not apply to prisoners convicted of serious crimes including rape, terrorism, unlawful killing, serious child sexual offences and grooming.
Rupert Matthews said many victims had believed the person responsible for the crime against them was behind bars serving a proper sentence, only to discover that was not the case.
"Many people who suffered assaults and burglary and other crimes thought that the person responsible was being sent to prison and was given a good stiff sentence," he said.
"They're now finding that's not happening. A lot of people are feeling very uneasy about that."
"So a victim of crime who was relieved when the criminal was caught are now finding that the criminal's not being punished in the way they thought.
"We can give advice about window alarms, window locks, but a lot of it is talking to the victim of crime and explaining what's happening and how it's happening and when it's happening and listening to what their concerns are and trying to do something about it."
"I think it's important for people to understand that the police and probation and my office are working as hard as we can to try to ensure the safety of everybody."
Rupert Matthews added he did not want the public to panic over the changes.
"And I don't want the public to get too frightened and alarmed by this," he said.
The Ministry of Justice funding will be used to expand the commissioner's existing Victim First service, which supports victims of crime across the area.
It will pay for a new online awareness and signposting campaign to tell victims where they can get help, as well as a specialist worker embedded within Victim First to act as a single point of contact for those affected by the changes.
The worker will provide information, safety planning, emotional support and practical guidance, along with referrals to specialist services.
The funding will also go towards therapeutic support for victims experiencing distress because of the early release arrangements, and towards target hardening packs for those assessed as needing extra security at home, including victims of domestic abuse.
Each pack contains a video doorbell, a door brace, a letterbox protector and window alarms.