Plans to deport foreign convicted criminals sooner in bid to free up prison places risks reducing deterrent to law-breaking, ministers are warned

Plans to deport foreign convicted criminals sooner in a bid to free up prison places risks reducing the deterrent for committing crime, ministers have been warned.

Amid huge pressures on prison capacity, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk wants to speed up the removal of foreign offenders from jail cells.

Foreign criminals can currently be removed up to a year before the end of their sentence.

The Ministry of Justice now wants to bring that forward to 18 months in a move that is hoped will save £70,000 per prisoner.

But, according to The Times, a Lords committee scrutinising the law change – planned to come into effect on 16 January next year – suggested it could lead to an increase in crime committed by foreign criminals.

It also noted how foreign offenders could now be seen as having a reduced punishment compared to British criminals, because they are no longer imprisoned after deportation.

Amid huge pressures on prison capacity, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk wants to speed up the removal of foreign offenders from jail cells

A Lords committee scrutinising the law change – planned to come into effect on 16 January next year – suggested it could lead to an increase in crime committed by foreign criminals

More than 3,100 foreign criminals have already been removed in the year to March, according to the MoJ, but around 10,000 remain locked up in England and Wales.

There are currently serious concerns about overcrowding in British prisons, with around 88,000 people currently incarcerated in England and Wales.

Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, a member of the Lords committee said: ‘The policy could be seen as reducing the punishment of overseas criminals in order to ensure that UK citizens can continue to be sent to prison.

‘In addition, the policy risks reducing the deterrents for overseas citizens to commit crime, potentially undermining confidence in the criminal justice system.

‘That the department has provided no analysis of these and other operational risks is disappointing and means that it is impossible to assess properly whether the change is appropriate.

‘We have suggested that the House may wish to press the Minister on our areas of concern.’

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: ‘Thousands of prisoners have already been removed under this scheme which has been running for nearly 20 years.

‘Our changes simply mean foreign national offenders who cost the taxpayer £47,000 a year to imprison can be deported earlier and prevented from coming back to the UK.

‘They must still serve at least half of the custodial part of their sentence in prison and terrorists, murderers and other criminals serving life sentences are still excluded.’

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