People have jumped on the judicial issue of this case and decided that OAFC are to blame for the fact Hughes is being released from his sentence early.
Personally speaking, I believe a prison sentence should be served in full with additional time for any further laws you break while inside. The fact criminals are released early "for good behaviour" is the most nauseating line the Judicial Service trot out....people are in prison for the crimes they have commited before their incarceration. The fact they behave once inside is irrelevant in my opinion as they aren't in prison to display that behaviour but to serve their time. However, this is something the Government & Home Office need to tackle and bring to an end and is not related to football in any capacity.
The fact Hughes is available for parole and will be out in August is a fact. Assuming he is released, we have put ourselves in a position to sign someone who was proven to be a quality player who will do a good job in this division. However, from the interview on Granada, Latics also made it quite clear where they stand as a club in terms of the crime Hughes commited and have even stated that he will be required to work in the community teaching kids the error of his ways as part of his contract.
If, as seems likely, he is released then he can set about rebuilding his life and to do that he will need a job. As he was a professional footballer, then his trade is football. If we don't sign him, someone else will do. And I seem to recall ex-jailbirds Duncan Ferguson, Jamie Lawrence, Mick Quinn have been allowed to return to a footballing life after serving their time?