CONCERNS have been raised about the monitoring of high-risk military detainees after their release and the lack of rehabilitation for offenders serving short sentences.

The Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) was praised in a report by the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) despite the issues being raised.

The facility in Berechurch Hall Road, Colchester, is the only one of its type in the country and holds soldiers who have been sentenced either by Court Martial or their commanding officer or those awaiting their hearing who it is believed would benefit from being kept in secure conditions.

Detention can range from two weeks to two years and either return to their Armed Forces posting or are discharged when their sentence is finished.

IMB chairman Graham Cross said: “We continue to be impressed by the high standards of care, education and training provided by the MCTC personnel to everyone sentenced to spend time there but are also concerned detainees serving sentences under 28 days may be unable to properly benefit from the opportunities available to them and may be more likely to reoffend in the future.

“We also share the concerns expressed by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons that the law, as it currently stands, does not include service personnel detained for higher-risk violent or sex offences in the arrangements that apply to non-military offenders on release.

“This can result in a lack of post-release supervision or statutory engagement from the public authorities responsible for public protection arrangements.”

In a letter to inspectors, previous Parliamentary Under Secretary for Defence Tobias Ellwood said the policy on high risk offenders was being addressed by the MoD.

He said: “The MCTC voluntarily conduct most aspects of the statutory requirements, within resources, including pre-release risk assessment and, where appropriate, referrals to the relevant authorities.”

Regarding detainees serving short sentences, he added: “It is difficult to provide comprehensive training packages and serves for those at the MCTC for a short period.

“However, all individual sentence plans are bespoke and designed to maximise the time available to each detainee.”