Home Detention Curfew
Coming home: Home Detention Curfew (HDC)
Any prisoner serving more than three months but less than four years must be considered for early release on Home Detention Curfew (HDC). Most people refer to this as “tagging”. It is the most natural thing in the world to want to get home to your loved ones as soon as possible. As experts in prison law we will advise you how this applies to you.
Not many prisoners or their families realise that in most cases they are entitled to FREE legally aided Prison Law Representation whilst they are serving a prison sentence. We have a contract with the Legal Services Commission in Prison Law matters.
You might be in prison, but that does not mean you do not have rights – let us voice them for you. Call FIRSTPRISONS, we will not let them throw away the key.
Certain prisoners are excluded from the HDC scheme. These are prisoners who are subject to a hospital order; violent and sexual offenders serving extended sentences; prisoners facing deportation; prisoners who have been released early under an HDC and have been returned to custody; people serving sentences for fine default and contempt of court and prisoners who have breached an early release licence and have received a further prison sentence.
In addition prisoners with a history of sexual offending (regardless of current offence) and those serving sentences for certain other offences, including racially aggravated offences will be ‘presumed unsuitable’ for HDC release unless there are exceptional circumstances.
The length of the sentence being served affects the length of time that can be spent out of prison on HDC. Prisoners who are eligible must satisfy a risk assessment before being approved for HDC. The governor must ensure that there is no risk to the public. Decisions made by the governor can be appealed both internally at the prison and then to the Area Manager.
It is also worth noting that the advice that the CIB Limited provides is also absolutely FREE and confidential, for more information or at the very least, a family member or loved one should allow one of our solicitors to thoroughly review an inmate’s sentence plan to ensure that all targets are realistic and any offending behaviour programmes set out by the prison are suitable and realistic for the inmate in question. Our solicitors can also advise an inmate on what courses should be completed, and the best prisons in which to complete them, in order that inmate progress as quickly as possible through their prison sentence.
