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Chapter 1: What happens when a prisoner is mistakenly released?
This is Drama of the Week.
Life and Time. Three Days. By James Fritz.
A person's life is their record. A person's record is their life. In prison, you know, there's very little difference.
The manhunt continues today for the prisoner Lee Kirk, who is still at large two days after being mistakenly released from prison. Kirk, who is serving a nine-year sentence, was accidentally released on Monday. Prisoner at large Lee Kirk. Lee Kirk.
Police have requested anyone with information about prisoner Lee... ...information about his whereabouts to contact police immediately. The Ministry of Justice has released... If cited, the prisoner should not be approached by anyone... Accidentally released prisoner Lee Kirk. Lee Kirk not approached.
Public are advised not to approach... And now to the story of Lee Kirk. The police are still looking for information about his whereabouts. He's considered extremely dangerous.
A man is on the loose. A system is in crisis. And everyone, everywhere is asking the same question.
How could something like this happen? How could something like this happen? The prison service are reviewing security measures while the police are urging anyone who has information to please come forward.
Accidentally released. Accidentally released. Accidentally released. Accidentally released.
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Chapter 2: How does the media react to Lee Kirk's release?
He just doesn't know it yet. Lee's currently buying a Snickers at a newsagent because he still believes he is a free man. Two days ago, he had what he thought was his last conversation in prison with me.
Thanks for everything, yes.
Well, good luck, Lee, and I hope this is the last I see of you. He left prison with a handshake, the properly signed paperwork and a hundred quid discharge grant. No one chased him out the door. No alarms went off. No one even batted an eyelid.
This is Claire.
Claire is Lee's sister. She hasn't thought about her brother in a long time. She hasn't had the headspace.
Kids, now please!
She is halfway out the door when she gets a news alert. And when she clicks on the story, sees Lee's face staring back at her. Oh my God. Quickly followed by a knock at the door. To properly tell the sad story of Lee Kirk, we could go back 200 years or more, but we'll start in a courtroom two years ago and see how far we get.
All rise.
It is the end of Lee's trial, and he takes a deep breath as his sentence is read out.
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of clerical errors in the justice system?
As his exhausted eyes stare at the sentencing remarks, where the judge clearly said...
Two sentences to be served consecutively.
As in, back to back, he reads... To be served concurrently. As in, all at once, he stares again. It definitely says... Consecutively. But he reads... Concurrently. And ticks the wrong box, signs off the paperwork and sends it on its way. The record is filed in a box that travels with Lee to the prison that he will call home. It is two years later. Lee Kirk's box is about to be opened.
Carly, it's nearly seven. How many more you got? That's me, Yaz. I work in the offender management unit at Lee's prison. Morning, pal. You all right? The OMU is at the heart of prison life. We spend our time talking with prisoners. We're here to discuss your progress. Coordinating rehabilitation. I can get you on that course, but it's going to be another few weeks.
And laying the ground for a prisoner's release. I need accommodation for him, but it can't be in that postcode. But at this moment, we've got no time for anything else. It'll have to wait, love. I'm so sorry. Because right now, our whole world is calculators. Calculators and boxes.
This recalculating's doing my head in.
That's Carly.
There's got to be a better way.
Carly has only been working in the OMU for a couple of months. On her first day in the job, she took one look around the office and said... Jesus, that's a lot of boxes. I can barely see the floor. It's all prisoner paperwork. Each prisoner has a box, case files, sentencing remarks, court transcripts. When a prisoner moves, their box comes with them. A lot of prisoners, a lot of boxes.
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Chapter 4: How does Lee Kirk's family react to his unexpected release?
It's got so bad that judges are delaying cases. Police are putting off major operations until they have someone to put people... How long? I don't... How long do we have to work with? Three days. Three days and then the whole prison system collapses. Get me the Justice Secretary on the line.
Now!
This is Jenny. Jenny is the governor of the prison that Lee Kirk calls home. She's understaffed, underfunded, and her prison is falling apart. How much is this going to cost us to fix?
Well, I mean, how long's a piece of string?
She's just coming out of a team meeting when she hears the words she dreads the most.
Jane, the prison director wants to speak to you. OK.
The government want to implement an early release scheme. So every prisoner serving a determinate sentence is not going to have to wait until 50% of their sentence is completed to be released. They're going to drop it to 40%. Oof. All of which means you'll need to recalculate every tariff.
When's this coming in?
Monday.
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Chapter 5: What challenges do prison staff face in managing releases?
And something in him changed.
I'm feeling good about the future, Reverend. He's got a plan for me and I'm not going to let him down. He can only guide you, remember. It's you who has to do the work.
That night, in his cell, Lee decides to say a prayer.
Lord, I know you're listening. Thank you for showing me the way forward. I wanted to ask you, I know I've done a lot of bad things. I know what I've done was wrong. I may be unforgivable but just give me another chance and I promise, I promise you, I will make it count.
The next morning, in the OMU, a list is printed. I am shattered after yesterday. There's more where that came from. It is a list of every new name approvable for release. It would usually have two, maybe three names on it in a week. This day, it has 21. 21 surprise early releases. All needing beds and resettlement plans and probation officers. Oh. Almost like they haven't thought this through.
Now, perhaps you might be thinking, does no-one check the list one last time to make sure? And maybe they would. Except Carly trusts the court clerk who wrote up the sentence. I trust Carly, who calculated the release. Nice one. I'll get these to Jen. The governor trusts me. All signed off. Thanks, yes. And the officers trust the governor.
Release list? You got it, boss.
Joe is the new box officer on Lee's wing.
All looks fine to me.
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Chapter 6: How does the prison system respond to overcrowding issues?
Quiet news week, prison system's in a mess. Escaped maniac on the loose. Let's use this to make the government sweat a little. Where's he from, this lunatic? Can we make it an immigration thing as well?
The story breaks half an hour later. It is picked up again and again. And again.
What we have seen now is an explosion in accidental prisoner releases.
What does this say about this government's handling of the prison system?
Well, it raises serious questions about oversight, doesn't it? Are the public in danger?
The opposition is saying this points to a breakdown in basic administrative controls.
The Prime Minister needs to get his hands around this very quickly.
I will reiterate, if you come into contact with Lee Kirk, do not approach. He has a record of violent offending and must be considered extremely dangerous. I've had the Secretary of State on the phone. Been hauled into Whitehall. How on earth did this happen? We're looking into it, but I can't... No, Jen. Someone's made a terrible mistake here. I'm being asked to, and I want to give them a name.
Oh.
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Chapter 7: What leads to the manhunt for Lee Kirk?
I'll meet you there once I've done the school run. Lee is worried. Worried that the cafe will kick him out as he can't afford a coffee. Worried what his sister will say to him. Worried what he's going to do next. When he sees a man at the next table looking at him funny.
What are you staring at?
Lee meets his eye and then the door goes.
Claire. Hiya. Well, stay long.
Can I get you something?
Can you afford to?
It's good to see you, sis. I wanted to say... I wanted to apologise for everything that happened before I went away.
Which time?
Yeah, all right. I deserve that. Look, I know that we've left things in a bad way, but I've done a lot of work in there, a lot of work on myself. And the Lord gave me this opportunity.
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