How many victims are too many?

Every day, victims of domestic abuse, stalking and other violent crimes are trying to rebuild their lives. For many, the abuse doesn’t end when the relationship ends—or even when the offender is sent to prison. Instead, they continue living with fear, harassment, intimidation and the lasting effects of trauma for years.

This campaign was inspired by my own experience as a survivor, but it has quickly become about something much bigger. Survivors from across the UK have shared their stories with me, and a common theme has emerged: many feel that repeat violent offenders are able to continue causing harm long after their first conviction, while victims are left to carry the lifelong consequences.

Through these stories, several concerns are raised repeatedly:

• Victims living in fear long after criminal proceedings have ended.
• Repeat violent offenders being released while victims continue to face ongoing safety concerns.
• Stalking, harassment and coercive control continuing long after relationships have ended.
• The use of contraband mobile phones in prisons to contact, intimidate or manipulate victims and witnesses.
• Vulnerable people being groomed and exploited into abusive relationships or criminal lifestyles.
• The devastating impact repeated abuse has on victims’ mental health, families and ability to rebuild their lives.

This petition is not about removing hope of rehabilitation or ignoring the rights of offenders. It is about asking whether the current system is doing enough to protect victims and the wider public when there is evidence of repeated violent offending and ongoing risk.

I am calling on the Government to review whether further reforms are needed to strengthen victim protection, improve the management of repeat violent offenders, tackle the use of contraband mobile phones in prisons, and ensure that decisions affecting public safety properly take account of the risks posed to victims and communities.

Every survivor deserves the opportunity to recover without living in constant fear. Every victim deserves to know that their safety matters.

It is time to move beyond the sentence and ask a simple question:

When does a victim’s right to feel safe become as important as an offender’s opportunity for release?

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