'Don't just throw us on the streets after prison'

Alan was released from prison and found himself homeless. He has a white beard and wears glasses, and he is standing outside with trees behind him. There are people in bright jackets behind him, giving out clothes. The government has decided to release thousands of prisoners early to reduce the pressure on the prison system. They say they have inherited a justice system that is in crisis. However, many people are worried that when prisoners are released, they will not have a place to live. Alan, who spent years on the streets in Brighton after his release, expressed his frustration, saying, 'You end up getting into trouble again deliberately to get put back inside. It’s not a life that a lot of us want. ' He found it extremely difficult to adjust to life outside of prison and struggled to access benefits and support. 'You come out, the world’s different,' he said. 'Find the right place to put us. Don't just leave us on the street. ' Starting this week, prisoners who have served 40% of their sentence will be automatically released. The Ministry of Justice expects that around 5,500 people will be released over the next two months. Last year, data showed that 8,355 people in England and Wales were released from custody and ended up sleeping rough, which is 12% of all prison leavers. This number increased by 2,310 from the previous year. More than 3,000 people were still sleeping on the streets three months after their release. A former chief inspector of prisons warned, 'A lot of those released, I fear will end up homeless because there simply isn’t the accommodation for them. ' Research indicates that former inmates who have stable housing are 50% less likely to reoffend. Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons in England and Wales, raised concerns about a potential 'bottleneck' of former prisoners seeking accommodation. He stated, 'There’s a danger then that we do get this bottleneck, that we do get a lot of prisoners released from prison around the same time, and therefore they won’t be able to find accommodation. ' Charlie also highlighted the connection between homelessness and reoffending, saying, 'They’re going back out onto the streets, and then they’re back within the prison in a matter of days. ' Nick, who was placed in accommodation after leaving prison, expressed his worries about the lack of housing for those being released early. He said, 'So obviously you're just throwing people back out and they're going to relapse, either on drugs and drink, or they're going to reoffend because they want to go back to prison because they know it's a roof over their heads. ' Nick found it much easier to be in prison, where he received three meals a day, was paid to deliver newspapers, and had access to a hot shower. He admitted that he sometimes thought about committing a crime just to return to prison. 'Sometimes, when you’re going through the bad days,' he said. Helen Berresford, from the social justice charity Nacro, pointed out that people can be released without any support or housing in place, which can set them up to fail. The shortage of council housing and the reluctance of some private landlords to rent to individuals with criminal convictions contribute to the difficulties in finding housing after leaving custody. Steven, who volunteers for Sussex Homeless Support, shared his experiences of seeing the cycle of homelessness after prison. He said, 'They go into prison with nothing, and then they come out with nothing, so you’re going to end up with nothing. ' Jakab, a former inmate now sleeping rough in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, expressed his frustration with private landlords who refuse to rent to him. 'They push you out. You're just a prisoner,' he said. 'I don't want to sleep on the street, it's too much to bear. ' The Local Government Association has expressed concerns about the impact of the early release program on councils' ability to manage homelessness. A spokesperson stated, 'While councils do everything they can to prevent homelessness, the shortage of affordable housing makes this increasingly difficult, and a proportion of prisoners released will become homeless. ' The prison population reached a record high of 88,521 people last Friday. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson mentioned that the new early release system would allow probation staff more time to prepare for a prisoner's release, including planning for their accommodation. They also stated that the government is working with local councils and charities to prevent prisoners from being released onto the streets while developing a long-term strategy for homelessness.