Dad says son ‘set up to fail’ by prisoner early release scheme

Andrew says his son was “set up to fail” after coming out of prison as part of the early release scheme

BBC Andrew, a man with short gray hair and glasses looks through a family photo album. He is wearing a burgundy zipped jumper and sitting on a brown armchair in his living room. — Andrew says his son was “set up to fail” after coming out of prison as part of the early release scheme

Sitting in the living room of his West Yorkshire home, Andrew wistfully observes a family photo of his son and says his feelings are “too upsetting for words”.

Harry (not his real name) was one of more than 1,700 prisoners set free under the government’s early release scheme on 10 September, but within a fortnight he was back behind bars.

His descent into heroin use and low-level crime has been a shock for Andrew and his family – the world of drugs was once completely foreign to them.

During his brief stint as a free man this month, Andrew kept a diary he shared with the BBC of his experiences.

Andrew says he was “surprised” when he received a phone call on 8 September to inform him Harry was coming out of prison – his son only was sentenced a few days earlier.

That surprise was exacerbated when, after picking him up from HMP Leeds, Harry told him he had been released without his bank card or the key to his house, where he was legally obliged to stay under his license conditions.

Andrew kept a diary he shared with the BBC after he collected his son from HMP Leeds on 10 September

Andrew, a man with short gray hair and glasses sits in the driver's seat of a red car. He is looking into the camera with the car window wound down. — Andrew kept a diary he shared with the BBC after he collected his son from HMP Leeds on 10 September

In his diary, Andrew recorded making six calls to the prison Harry had previously been held at in an effort to trace these items, but without success.

“They release (Harry) with a license of activities he must engage with, but the fact they release him without the key to his property where he’s required to reside beggars belief frankly,” Andrew tells the BBC.

As a result, Andrew offered him a bed at his house until the situation was sorted, but his son chose to sleep rough.

Prisoners at HMP Leeds, in Armley, were among the 1,750 set free under the early release scheme this month

A view of HMP Leeds from outside its boundary wall and fence. The prison estate is a mixture of modern light brown buildings and the remains of what appears to be a castle. — Prisoners at HMP Leeds, in Armley, were among the 1,750 set free under the early release scheme this month

After moving onto a friend’s house a few days later, Harry called his dad the following weekend asking him to pick him up.

He told him he had been chased around Huddersfield by a drug dealer with a hammer over a £70 debt.

“If you can’t live in your own home it forces you into a situation where you make the decision where you’re going to live on the streets,” Andrew tells the BBC.

“That’s only going to necessarily lead to the kind of criminality he’s going to be involved with.”

Andrew’s diary noted his frustration with the early release scheme, but also his own son’s behavior

A quote from Andrew's diary, recorded after Harry's release from prison — Andrew’s diary noted his frustration with the early release scheme, but also his own son’s behavior

“He is driven totally by drugs and his only thoughts are, on release, ‘all I want are drugs’,” Andrew explains.

Harry stayed with his dad for little more than a week before he was recalled to prison.

“It’s not always a pleasant experience for me to have my son stay with me, but I had hoped he would on the Tuesday of release and the following night,” Andrew’s diary entry said.

Harry stayed with Andrew’s for eight days between his release from prison and his recall

An untidy bedroom, littered with dirty crockery, unmade bedding and sweet wrappers — Harry stayed with Andrew’s for eight days between his release from prison and his recall

Andrew takes us upstairs and shows us the bedroom his son used. A cross-stitch of some rural hills on the wall and a boxset of a Michael Palin travel program are among the room’s innocent features.

Even the dirty crockery and empty biscuit wrappers on the floor could be the work of a cleaning-averse teenager, but Andrew wants us to see something else.

A water bottle crammed full of used syringes tells the story of what Harry was doing during his brief time here. His loving dad holds the bottle aloft, quite clearly emotional.

Andrew says his son thinks only of drugs when he is out of jail

Andrew holds up a water bottle crammed with syringes. In the background is his son's bedroom, with dirty plates and litter strewn around. — Andrew says his son thinks only of drugs when he is out of jail

Harry’s descent into heroin use and law-breaking has been as rapid as it is heartbreaking.

A mere 18 months ago he was bodybuilding to the point his frame resembled the Incredible Hulk, according to Andrew.

Having struggled to hold down jobs for any longer than months at a time during his twenties, he was volunteering at a local charity, with a view to possibly gaining meaningful employment.

Class A drugs and jail time in four different prisons since early 2023 have put paid to that notion, however.

Andrew’s diary notes Harry’s recall to prison felt inevitable

His once muscular body is now “thin and emaciated”, his dad says.

“It’s a mixture of total disbelief, revulsion your child gets into that sort of situation and then pity that anyone could get into a sorry state,” he explains.

A retired careers adviser, Andrew’s diary says he has “no doubt” Harry is well known to the police and “causing haoc and fear for some shopkeepers in Huddersfield”.

Asked how he feels about his son being back inside, Andrew indicates he is relieved he is behind bars “for his own safety”, but caveats this with frustration that he does not seem to get the rehab he needs in prison.

Andrew is mystified by his son’s rapid descent into drugs and crime

Andrew, a man with short gray hair and glasses stares away from the camera and into the middle distance. He is wearing a burgundy zipped jumper and sitting on a brown sofa in his living room. — Andrew is mystified by his son’s rapid descent into drugs and crime

He says his son has told him quite bluntly over the phone ‘I like taking drugs’ since returning to jail.

But if he returns to living with Andrew on his release, substance misuse will not be tolerated, Harry’s behavior having already alienated other family members.

“I’m nearing the end of the road,” Andrew sighs. “I won’t disown him, but I’ll have to keep a distance in order to keep my own sanity. The only person who can influence the situation is himself.

“We can advise and encourage but the reality is he has to see the light.”

In response to the issues raised, the Ministry of Justice said it was unable to comment on the cases of individual prisoners.

However, a spokesperson for the department said: “The new government inherited a justice system in crisis.

“The Lord Chancellor scrapped the previous government’s early release scheme, replacing it with a system which gives probation staff more time to prepare for a prisoner’s release.”

Andrew says he wants to highlight the problems drugs cause families and communities, as well as his own negative experience of the early release scheme

Andrew, a man with short gray hair and glasses stares out of his living room window. — Andrew says he wants to highlight the problems drugs cause families and communities, as well as his own negative experience of the early release scheme

Andrew says he spoke to the BBC about his experience in an effort to educate people about the effect drugs have on the lives of families, neighbors and communities.

He is clearly mystified by Harry’s plight, given his other children have gone on to lead successful, stable lives.

“Until all of this happened in recent months, I had no idea about the life of a junkie,” he says.

“I wanted to try to help people understand we have a massive problem in society. How solvable it is, I just don’t know.”

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