Releasing prisoners from jail on Fridays heightens the risk of them going on to commit more crimes, according to campaigners who want to end the practice.
Those granted freedom just before the weekend face an uphill battle to access emergency accommodation, vital prescription medicines and addiction support in just one day.
Many are left with just the £46 discharge grant every former inmate is issued with, and some ending up spending the weekend on the streets.
Ministry of Justice figures show a third of all prison releases take place on a Friday, as all inmates with scheduled release dates which fall on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday are brought forward.
But rehabilitation experts want the practice to end and have launched a campaign to put pressure on the government to change its system.
National social justice charity Nacro believes ending the practice would make a significant difference to people leaving prison and would cut reoffending rates, which have remained high over the last decade – fluctuating between 32% and 29%.
Robert Elias, a resettlement worker, told HuffPost UK: “Friday releases are very problematic, as there are several things that need to be sorted on release, but a lot of places are winding down on a Friday, especially on a bank holiday weekend.
“A lot of emergency housing stock has also already been allocated for the week.
“One of the requirements is for prisoners to see their probation officer within three days of release. So if they are released on a Friday, they definitely have to see them that day, as the third day would be Sunday.”
Elias said many of the people he works with struggle with mental health problems, or alcohol or drug dependency, which means getting access to prescription medication is a priority.
In one case a prisoner he worked with, named only as Michael, was released on a Friday before a bank holiday weekend after serving a year in custody.
He had an addiction to heroin, but was not given prescription charts from prison medical staff on his release to determine his dose of methadone.
Elias said: “As it was late afternoon on a Friday, the GP from the substance misuse service had left and we were unable to get him his medication.
“Michael was vulnerable and entitled to priority housing. However, the local authority did not deem him to be priority need and as it was a Friday afternoon, he didn’t have time to gather the further evidence needed to prove this before the weekend.
“Michael spent the weekend sleeping in a known drug house and ended up using heroin. He was clean of heroin before he came out but his Friday release had an impact on him.”
He said releasing Michael earlier in the week would have given him faster access to medical services and increased his chances of finding a suitable place to sleep.
‘Friday releases make things worse – especially when you have mental health issues’
Daniel, 39, has been in and out of prison up to 20 times in his life.
He told HuffPost UK his issues began when he was a victim of a knife attack at the age of 21 and began suffering with mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, which have deteriorated over the past decade.
He has been released several times on a Friday and says he knows from experience it makes things far more difficult.
Clayton was among one group of prisoners released on a Friday of which one member took his own life on the Saturday, as he faced living on the streets and felt unable to deal with what lay ahead.
Clayton, who has spent a lot of time sleeping rough, said: “After the knife attack, my mental health deteriorated so badly. I lost all my money as I couldn’t manage it.
“I developed an addiction to painkillers, which turned into drug addiction. I have been to prison for things like theft and stealing to eat.
“Being released from prison at any time when you have mental health issues is very difficult but on a Friday, it is a lot worse as it is almost guaranteed you will get sent away from the agencies you go to for help.
“Unfortunately, on a Friday you don’t have the luxury of attending the following day, or challenging a decision if you are refused housing.
“I am still very mentally ill and have suicidal thoughts and without the support of Nacro and Robert fighting my corner, I think I would be dead.
Nacro chief executive Jacob Tas told HuffPost UK: “Stopping Friday releases would stop people going off the rails and staff on the frontline say it is the thing they would change to have a positive effect.
“Friday releases can make an already challenging day impossible and increase the likelihood that people will reoffend and fall back into bad ways.
“We believe there are immediate, simple and cost-effective steps that can be taken by the government and prison governors to ensure Friday releases are avoided.”
Tas said there is “an important window of opportunity” upon an offender’s release in which to help them turn their back on a life of crime.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the government was in the process of reviewing Friday release dates.
“We are taking decisive action to improve the delivery of probation services in England and Wales, including investing £22m in extra support for offenders leaving prison,” he added.
“As outlined in our recent consultation on probation reform, we are already considering whether a Friday release day presents challenges to people coming out of prison. We will report the results of this in due course.”