Accurate information about dangerous prisoners is often missing, says the report (Picture: Getty)

Murderers and rapists are being released without their risk to the public being properly assessed, a report has found.

One unidentified prison changed its paperwork for releasing life-sentence prisoners on temporary licences by removing the section dealing with risk of harm to others.

This was done to ‘simplify the process’, prison and probation inspectors said.

Life sentences can be handed to offenders for a range of offences including murder, manslaughter and rape, though most will be released at some point on a licence.


The average time served on a mandatory life sentence in 2011 was 16 years but the system for ensuring prisoners posed no harm on release left ‘considerable room for improvement’, the report found.



There was also an ‘over-reliance’ on prisoners’ own accounts of their offending when prison staff were completing assessments.

The criticisms come in a joint Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Prisons report.

Chief Inspector of Probation Liz Calderbank said prison governors were ‘not being supplied with sufficient, accurate information’ about lifers.

And in a small number of cases nor was the parole board, which determines whether prisoners can be safely released into the community.

‘Assessments in many instances weren’t being thorough enough and weren’t being completed adequately,’ the report said.

‘Often, quite basic elements were missing that you would have expected to be included.

‘We were shocked at the fact that there was a lack of clarity and confusion about who was responsible for completing risk assessments when in custody.’

Despite this the study said only 2.2 per cent of those sentenced to a mandatory life sentence and 4.8 per cent of those serving other life sentences re-offend.

Chief Inspector of Prisons Nick Hardwick said: ‘The public would expect assurance that those processes are properly managed, the risk assessments are done properly, and proper attention is given to that.’

Justice Minister Jeremy Wright said a review was being carried out into the way prisoners are released on temporary release licence.