Thousands of survivors to be protected from prison abusers
Survivors will be better protected from domestic abusers who attempt to continue their campaign of terror from behind bars.
- new scheme to thwart domestic abuse campaigns from behind bars by blocking unwanted calls and letters from prisoners
- delivers on the government鈥檚 Domestic Abuse Plan
Under the scheme, police forces, prison governors and victims鈥� services will work hand-in-glove to automatically block offenders from calling or sending threatening letters to their victims.
皇冠体育app new Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service - trialled at Kent and Thames Valley earlier this year - will act immediately on any intelligence to contact jails and block offenders from sending further communications.
In practice, this will mean offenders will be physically unable to dial their victim鈥檚 number from the prison landings or send out letters to the victim鈥檚 address as these contact detail will automatically be barred.
Crucially, the new scheme means survivors will not have to ask for help themselves, with other agencies and support services able to contact the service on their behalf 鈥� protecting them from further trauma.
By creating a single hub for police victims and support agencies, the new service will ensure a speedier response with dedicated case handlers quickly locating offenders and blocking contact. It will also prevent abusers from using other offenders to torment their victims by barring victims鈥� contact details from all prison phones.
Minister for Prisons and Probation, Damian Hinds, said:
We will never tolerate domestic abusers who seek to continue their campaign of abuse from behind bars and will always take tough action against the prisoners responsible.
This new service delivers on our commitments in the national Domestic Abuse Plan and will better protect victims once their cowardly abusers are jailed.
During successful pilots, hundreds of victims came forward to request contact was blocked - showing the new model is more accessible and effective in identifying and protecting victims.
Diana Fawcett, Chief Executive of Victim Support, said:
Unwanted contact from offenders is frightening and stressful. It can stop victims from moving on with their lives and, particularly in cases of domestic abuse, is often used to intimidate victims and continue campaigns of abuse.
We welcome steps to make it easier and quicker to take action and hope that this will make a real difference for victims.
皇冠体育app move delivers on the cross-government Domestic Abuse Plan which sets out investment of 拢140 million to support victims and 拢81 million to tackle perpetrators.
皇冠体育app government also continues to implement the Domestic Abuse Act which recognises all forms of abuse beyond physical violence, introduces new offences for non-fatal strangulation and so-called revenge porn, as well as preventing abusers from being able to directly cross-examine their victims in family and civil courts. 皇冠体育app vast majority of measures are now in force.
Notes to editors
Requests to block contact can be made by the victim, on behalf of the victim with their consent, or by police, probation, victim services, friends, or family members of the victim without their consent. Each case will be assessed individually.
Last year we passed our landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021, alongside a comprehensive action plan of other non-legislative measures.
For the first time in history, we now have a鈥痝eneral purpose鈥痩egal definition of domestic abuse which emphasises that domestic abuse goes beyond physical violence, and includes emotional,鈥痗oercive鈥痮r controlling, as well as economic abuse.
This is in recognition of the devastating impact different forms of abuse can have on victims鈥� lives.
On 30 March 2022, we published the cross-government鈥疶ackling Domestic Abuse Plan.