Why are we playing Russian roulette with the lives of women and young girls? - Christa Ackroyd

If one single woman is harmed because of early release from prison of a domestic violence perpetrator or a sex offender we will not accept any excuses. And we will judge you loudly.

So on behalf of those feeling threatened, any new policy to release predators before their sentence is complete because there is not enough room in prison had better be robustly executed.

Because it will not wash if any woman, child, man or boy, is abused by those we have discovered pose a threat or a danger. And that it won’t happen is a guarantee I am pretty certain no one can give me.

Firstly, I accept our prisons are overcrowded to the point where sentences have already been reduced both by this Government and the last to make space. But here is the rub.

The release of ‘serious’ offenders was never part of the selling of the plan to the public. Why? Because it is too dangerous. And I do not believe we have the correct monitoring system in place to make it even a possibility until we do.

I do not accept authority and so called experts always get it right. Far from it. And that means we the public are in danger of being part of an ‘experiment’ which has more holes in it than a Victorian prison roof.

But woe betide anyone who gets it wrong. Because we are watching. And you have been warned.

Let us start with sex offenders and rapists. The Government has said it has not ruled out mandatory chemical castration as a means of ‘curing’ their behaviour. And then they could be set free.

But even if it is at the request of the offender, can they guarantee the threat has gone? We already feel unsafe. Only three per cent of rape cases come to court and lead to a conviction.

So we know women are living in a predatory world.

And yes, I know there are not only men but women who are abusers – does that mean females will be kept in prison while only the males, who let’s face it make up the majority of cases, are released early? Because women cannot be chemically castrated.

Secondly, sex offenders and domestic abusers are wily. That is how they groom those who fall into their clutches. That is how they gaslight women who thought they were loved.

That is how they continue to abuse behind closed doors those who believe there is no escape. Because they believe no one will listen. And guess what, often they are right. I know psychiatrists are clever but so too are this disgusting group of criminals.

How many times have we heard from women who are systematically either destroyed physically or mentally while to the outside world their abuser is charming.

I have lost count of the number of murderers and serial sex offenders who on arrest their neighbours express shock saying ‘but they were so kind’. Or the most frequently heard comment ‘so quiet… he kept himself to himself.’ Of course he did.

That’s how he hid his darkness and evil for so long, often for years. And are their urges purely sexual?

How can you determine whether the sex offender is cured from his deviant behaviour rather than using the abuse to express a need to dominate and control those they see as being weaker?

There are simply too many unanswered questions for me not to ask one of my own. Why are we playing Russian roulette with women and young girls lives?

We know there is an ever increasing issue with male violence in our society.

We know misogyny abounds online, corrupting the minds of young boys with ever increasing serious consequences for the safety of young girls. So let us stop right there and begin by tackling that. Online safety is paramount.

Not only does the dark web lead to a warped interpretation of a sexual relationship it also gives rise to secret misogynistic groups which feed on the sense of power men and young boys are constantly being told they have lost.

And you hardly need reminding of the recent court cases where investigating police officers were part of such groups, taking pictures of two dead sisters in a London park for their amusement.

Let us suppose the warnings are not heeded and the plan goes ahead. I am far from convinced there are enough safeguards out in the real world to ensure those who claim they have changed are monitored. The whole system is already creaking.

The probation service is understaffed and overworked. And as I have already said abusers know exactly how to work the system.

So what to do about overcrowding apart from the obvious, which is to build more prisons. Firstly and most importantly we need to tackle the growing epidemic of drug use and addiction in this country. It’s all very well turning a blind eye to a ‘for your own use recreational drug’ habit.

While it is illegal it is underground. And dangerous. I hate to think it would become legal and acceptable but at least it would be monitored. And let’s face it the smell of cannabis being openly smoked on our streets is already overwhelming.

But as long as it is in the dark underworld it is harder to police and dangerously attractive to some as a result.

One in three prisoners are said to be inside because of a drug habit. And more than half of women in prison are reported by the Prison Reform Trust to have suffered domestic violence, or physical or sexual abuse as a child. It hope you get my point.

So here is my advice. Stop. Take a breath and listen and learn by speaking to women and children who have fallen prey to abusive men.

Learn their ways and how they operate. Learn how they pull the wool over their victim’s eyes. In other words talk to the abused not the abusers. Because they have in turn become experts on to how live in plain sight.

Or better still talk to those calling for tougher sentences for predatory criminals not shorter. Or how about this for a controversial solution? Why not keep them in jail. Why not keep us all safer and start with the lower end of the criminal scale. Common sense. Yes.

Never ever do I want to hear now or in the future of an internal prison, police or government inquiry into how a prisoner once jailed for his abuse of power and or his sexual deviants managed to beat the system and get out to abuse again.

If it happens once, as it will under these plans once is one time is too many. In the words of the campaign group Justice for Victims which counts parents of those lost and those attacked among its members ‘there isn’t any excuse for letting the worst offenders get out of prison even earlier’ .

So to those seeking a solution you have been warned. We are watching. We are looking for ways to keep our women and young people safer.

And that doesn’t mean by looking over our shoulders.