Carefully managing prisoners into the community on temporary licence toward the end of their sentence is a key part of efforts to rehabilitate them back into society. Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) plays an important role in public protection by ensuring that offenders are tested in the community under strict conditions before being released. It also provides a valuable means of helping prisoners prepare for their resettlement in the community by, for example, finding work or rebuilding links with their families, which helps to reduce reoffending.<\/p>
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But this should never be at the expense of public safety which remains our absolute priority.<\/p>
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In March this year, the Government announced plans to improve temporary release policy and practice following reviews prompted by three very serious incidents last year. A key part of these plans is to have a new scheme of restricted ROTL for serious offenders. In those cases, there will be more stringent risk assessment procedures, with greater involvement of psychology and probation professionals and more restrictive licence conditions. In addition, and as soon as suitable equipment is available, we will be able to tag offenders on temporary release.<\/p>
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In the vast majority of cases ROTL is used effectively and successfully. Prisoners fail to comply with licence conditions in less than one tenth of one per cent of cases.<\/p>
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