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<\/p>\nPlans 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.<\/p>\n
Amid huge pressures on prison capacity, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk wants to speed up the removal of foreign offenders from jail cells.<\/p>\n
Foreign criminals can currently be removed up to a year before the end of their sentence.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Justice now wants to bring that forward to 18 months in a move that is hoped will save \u00a370,000 per prisoner.<\/p>\n
But, according to The Times, a Lords committee scrutinising the law change – planned to come into effect on 16 January next year –\u00a0suggested it could lead to an increase in crime committed by foreign criminals.<\/p>\n
It also noted how foreign offenders could now be seen as having a reduced punishment compared to British criminals,\u00a0because they are no longer imprisoned after deportation.<\/p>\n
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Amid huge pressures on prison capacity, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk wants to speed up the removal of foreign offenders from jail cells<\/p>\n
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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<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
There are currently serious concerns about overcrowding in British prisons, with around 88,000 people currently incarcerated in England and Wales.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
‘In addition, the policy risks reducing the deterrents for overseas citizens to commit crime, potentially undermining confidence in the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n
‘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.<\/p>\n
‘We have suggested that the House may wish to press the Minister on our areas of concern.’<\/p>\n
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: ‘Thousands of prisoners have already been removed under this scheme which has been running for nearly 20 years.<\/p>\n
‘Our changes simply mean foreign national offenders who cost the taxpayer \u00a347,000 a year to imprison can be deported earlier and prevented from coming back to the UK.<\/p>\n
‘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.’<\/p>\n