Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support domestic abuse victims when the person who abused them has been released from prison.

The Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme provides valuable support to victims of offenders who receive a sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more, or a hospital order, for a violent or sexual offence. The Scheme enables victims to be informed of key stages of an offender’s sentence, such as if they are transferred to open prison conditions, as well as when the offender is to be released.

The Probation Service is currently rolling out an additional scheme, the Victim Notification Scheme, for victims of Stalking and Harassment offences, including Breach of Restraining Order and Breach of Non-molestation order, where any custodial sentence is imposed. This is currently running in four Probation Regions, with further Regions scheduled for rollout this year. The scheme aims to put victims in touch with support services local to them and ensure they are made aware of when the offender is being released from custody.