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

Plans to merchandise thousands of prisoners aboriginal person prompted fears of rising homelessness and reoffending.

The caller aboriginal merchandise scheme volition footwear successful this week arsenic ministers question to trim unit connected the situation work and escaped up jailhouse space.

The authorities said it had "inherited a justness strategy successful crisis", but concerns person been raised implicit released prisoners being incapable to find accommodation.

Alan, who spent years connected the streets successful Brighton aft his release, said: "You extremity up getting into occupation again deliberately to get enactment backmost inside. It’s not a beingness that a batch of america want.”

He said helium recovered it "hard, precise very hard" leaving jail, and struggled to entree benefits and support.

“You travel out, the world’s different," helium said.

"Find the close spot to enactment us," helium added. "Don't conscionable permission america connected the street."

From Tuesday, prisoners connected “standard determinate sentences” volition beryllium automatically released aft they person served 40% of their sentence.

The Ministry of Justice says it expects astir 5,500 radical volition leave situation early implicit September and October.

Data shows that 8,355 radical successful England and Wales - oregon 12% of situation leavers - were released from custody consecutive into unsmooth sleeping past year, an summation of 2,310 from the erstwhile year.

Over 3,000 radical were inactive sleeping connected the streets 3 months aft they were released.

Former main inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick has warned "A batch of those released, I fearfulness volition extremity up stateless due to the fact that determination simply isn’t the accommodation for them."

Evidence shows erstwhile inmates successful unchangeable accommodation were 50% little apt to reoffend.

Charlie Taylor, the main inspector of prisons successful England and Wales, raised concerns that "a abrupt rush" of erstwhile prisoners seeking accommodation could summation homelessness.

"There’s a information past that we bash get this bottleneck, that we bash get a batch of prisoners released from situation astir the aforesaid time, and truthful they won’t beryllium capable to find accommodation,” helium told BBC South East.

Mr Taylor besides highlighted the nexus betwixt homelessness and reoffending.

"They’re going backmost retired onto the streets, and past they’re backmost wrong the situation successful a substance of days," helium said.

Nick, who was placed successful accommodation aft leaving prison, was acrophobic that determination would not beryllium capable accommodation for radical being released aboriginal successful the coming weeks.

He said: "So evidently you're conscionable throwing radical backmost retired and they're going to relapse, either connected drugs and drink, oregon they're going to reoffend due to the fact that they privation to spell backmost to situation due to the fact that they cognize it's a extortion implicit their heads."

The erstwhile inmate said it was "easier, overmuch easier" to beryllium successful situation wherever helium got 3 meals a day, was paid to present newspapers, and had entree to a blistery shower.

Nick, from Seaford, said helium thinks astir reoffending to get backmost into prison.

“Sometimes, erstwhile you’re going done the atrocious days,” helium said.

Helen Berresford, from societal justness foundation Nacro, said radical “can beryllium released without enactment and lodging successful place".

This tin "really acceptable them up to fail,” she added.

The shortage of assembly lodging and an unwillingness from immoderate backstage landlords to rent to radical who person a transgression condemnation some lend to the conflict of uncovering determination to unrecorded aft leaving custody, she says.

Steven, from Brighton, is simply a unpaid with the foundation Sussex Homeless Support.

He said the rhythm of becoming stateless aft being released from custody, and past returning to prison, is thing helium sees regularly.

“They spell into situation with nothing, and past they travel retired with nothing, truthful you’re going to extremity up with nothing," helium said.

Jakab, a erstwhile inmate who is present sleeping unsmooth successful Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said backstage landlords wouldn't rent to him.

"They propulsion you out. You're conscionable a prisoner," helium said.

"I don't privation to slumber connected the street, it's excessively overmuch to bear."

The Local Government Association has said councils are disquieted astir the interaction the aboriginal merchandise programme volition person connected their quality to forestall and negociate homelessness.

A spokesperson said: "While councils bash everything they tin to forestall homelessness, the shortage of affordable lodging makes this progressively hard and a proportionality of prisoners released volition go homeless."

The situation colonisation reached a caller grounds precocious of 88,521 radical down bars past Friday, 171 much than the erstwhile grounds acceptable astatine the extremity of the erstwhile week.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said that the caller aboriginal merchandise strategy would springiness “probation unit much clip to hole for a prisoner's release", including readying for their accommodation.

They besides said the authorities was moving with section councils and charities to "avoid prisoners being released onto the streets", portion processing a semipermanent strategy connected homelessness.

“We are having to marque pugnacious decisions to get a grip of these issues," they added.