A reformed ex-prisoner was recently sent back to jail for missing a probation appointment two decades ago, according to a prison inspection report.
The woman – now a working mum with school-aged children – was supposed to attend the meeting in 2005 after being released on licence.
This allowed her to walk free before her sentence was completed as long as she met certain conditions.
She did not show up but has not committed any further offences since, the Independent Monitoring Boards said.
Despite her clean record she was arrested earlier this year and recalled to jail to serve the rest of her sentence – which was only another 12 weeks.
The incident was revealed in a report on women’s prison HMP Downview in Surrey, with inspectors criticising the decision.
The report’s authors found bosses were transferring inmates to open prisons ‘in what might be construed as knee-jerk, short-term measures to deal with population pressure’.
They questioned whether recalling the woman was ‘a sensible use of a prison place in the middle of acute population pressure’ or a sensible use of government resources ‘generally’.
The report continued: ‘She lost her job in the community whilst in Downview and was not allocated any work or other activities during her time in the prison.’
It did not state the nature of the offending for which the woman had been jailed or what the length of her original sentence was.
HMP Downview was at nearly-full capacity frequently throughout the review period of May 2023 to April 2024, according to the report, which was published last month.
The ‘increased churn of new arrivals created instability within the population’, inspectors said.
During this time the number of incidents where use of force was required more than doubled and assaults on staff increased by 54%.
These assaults were ‘often occurring when attempting to prevent prisoners from self-harming’, the report added.
A Ministry of Justice source said an order to recall the woman was issued in 2005, and this meant she was unlawfully at large until her arrest this year.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: ‘Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and they can be recalled to prison for breaching them.’
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