Ex-prisoner recalled to jail for missing appointment with her probation officer two decades ago

Prison inspectors have criticised the jail for their use of resources as the woman had not committed any further crimes, had school-age children and secure employment.

In an annual report, the Independent Monitoring Board questioned whether this was a "sensible" use of a prison place when jails are struggling for space across the country.

The report explained: "At the same time as we saw what might be construed as knee-jerk, short-term measures to deal with population pressure, we monitored the case of a woman who was transferred to Downview on recall for just 12 weeks.

"The recall was for a breach of a licence condition (failure to attend her probation appointment), which had taken place 20 years prior to her recall to Downview. The woman had not committed any further offences in that time and was now a mother, with school-age children and secure employment.

"She lost her job in the community whilst in Downview and was not allocated any work or other activities during her time in the prison.

"We query whether this is a sensible use of a prison place in the middle of acute population pressure, and also of His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service resources generally."

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The woman was originally released on licence, although the report did not disclose the nature of the crime which she committed.

This meant that she could walk free before she completed her full jail sentence, as long as she met strict conditions laid out by the judge.

The report further revealed that, since May 2023, the Monitoring Board observed the effects of fewer available spaces across prisons, describing HMP Downview as "extremely unsettled" during the summer of 2023.

They had specifically noted "a significant churn of new prisoners" between summer and autumn.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and they can be recalled to prison for breaching them."

Currently, prisons across England and Wales are reaching breaking point, with fewer than 100 spaces left in men's jails.

In an attempt to ease this pressure, the Labour Government released over 1,700 prisoners in September.

Ministers have blamed the previous Conservative Government for its inaction, despite the administration taking several emergency measures to combat the mounting crisis.