Release and Resettlement

Almost everyone in the Velocity Interoperability Network's custody will one day leave it. The Corrections Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network plans every release so that the person leaves with somewhere to live, a means of support, valid identification and continuity of healthcare, and so that the work of the sentence plan continues in the community.

Release is planned from twelve weeks before the date. Sentenced persons whose sentence includes a period of supervision are released on licence, with conditions set by the court or by the Department and enforced by a supervising officer of the Department's resettlement service. Persons acquitted or released by a court are released the same day from the court custody suite or the establishment, with their property and the balance of their account.

The release procedure. The steps below apply to every sentenced person released at the end of the custodial part of their sentence.

1. 1

   Step 1: Twelve weeks before release: the resettlement plan

   The sentence plan is converted into a resettlement plan. Resettlement staff confirm where the person will live, how they will be supported financially in the first weeks, that they hold valid identification and, where the sentence requires it, the conditions of their licence.

2. 2

   Step 2: Eight weeks before release: accommodation and income

   Where the person has no home to return to, a referral is made to the Housing Department of the Network. Applications for any benefit or pension to which the person is entitled are submitted so that the first payment falls due in the week of release.

3. 3

   Step 3: Four weeks before release: healthcare and identification

   Continuing healthcare, including any prescription, is arranged with a clinic of the Health Department. Identification documents held in property are checked and, where they have expired, renewed. Bank account details are confirmed for the payment of the release account.

4. 4

   Step 4: The week before release: the pre-release meeting

   The person, their personal officer and, where the sentence requires it, their supervising officer meet to confirm the plan. Family members attend where the person agrees. The person receives a written copy of the plan, their appointments and their licence conditions.

5. 5

   Step 5: The day of release

   Release takes place in the morning. The person receives their property, the balance of their account and release account, their identification, a travel warrant to their home address, and their written plan. Where the plan provides for it, they are met at the gate by their supervising officer.

6. 6

   Step 6: The first twelve weeks

   The supervising officer sees the person within one working day of release and weekly for the first month. Resettlement staff at the establishment remain available to the person and their supervising officer for twelve weeks to resolve any matter arising from the plan.

Release on temporary licence. Persons at Westbrook Resettlement Centre who have completed the digital skills course, and who are assessed as presenting a low risk, may be released on temporary licence for paid work, training or family contact in the final months of their sentence. Each release is for a stated purpose and period and is recorded; a person who breaches its conditions is returned to closed conditions.

Licence conditions. The conditions below are the standard conditions of release on licence. A court or the Department may add conditions specific to the person.

A person who breaches a condition of their licence may be recalled to custody by the Department. A recall is reviewed by a manager not involved in the decision within 28 days, and the person may make written representations and be represented.

Support after release. The Department's resettlement service works with the other departments and services of the Network to provide the support below.

Accommodation

No one is released without an address. Where a person has no home, the Housing Department of the Network provides accommodation from the day of release, and the Department may hold a person at Westbrook Resettlement Centre for up to seven days beyond the release date at their request while an address is confirmed.

Income

The balance of the person's release account is paid on the day of release. Applications for benefits are submitted before release so that the first payment falls due in the week of release, and a discharge grant is paid where no other income is available in that week.

Employment

Those who have completed a vocational certificate or a placement on temporary licence are referred to employers of the Network that have agreed to consider applications from persons leaving custody, and to the Labour Department for advice on employment.

Healthcare

Registration with a clinic of the Health Department is completed before release, with any prescription continued. Those in substance misuse treatment are seen by their community recovery worker within one working day of release.

Identification and accounts

Every person is released with valid identification recognised by the Network's Identity Service and with a bank account. Where either is lacking, resettlement staff obtain it during the twelve weeks before release.

Family

Where family relationships are to be resumed, the family ties programme continues after release through the supervising officer, and mediation is available where relationships have broken down.

Releases, recalls and the proportion of persons released to settled accommodation are reported on the Statistics page. Families are involved in release planning wherever the person agrees; see Families and Visitors. Enquiries about a forthcoming release may be sent to contact@corrections.gov.vin.