What kind of society fast-tracks early release for domestic abusers? This is gambling with women’s lives | Joan Smith

Andy Burnham inherited the crisis in our prison system – but the solution cannot be to further endanger the women and girls who have survived violence

It’s time to be blunt: the government is about to expose hundreds of vulnerable women to the risk of death or serious injury. Survivors of domestic abuse, including women who have suffered years of physical violence and intimidation, are now preparing for the moment in October when 5,000 prisoners begin to be released early. What are these women supposed to do? Where are they supposed to go? Their abusers know where they live. They know where their children go to school.

Following an outcry, rapists and some child sex offenders have been excluded from the early release scheme. But by refusing to exclude men convicted of domestic violence, this government is sending a message that this category of crime – serial in nature and implicated in the deaths of one woman every five days – is simply not a priority.

Joan Smith is an author, journalist and a former chair of the mayor of London’s VAWG board

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