Published • loading... • Updated
Hundreds of Prisoners Due for Release as UK Expands Early Release Scheme
Ministers will release 5,000 prisoners over the next year after excluding rapists and the most serious child sex offenders.
- Hundreds of prisoners are set to be freed on Thursday in the first wave of the Government's expanded early release scheme aimed at easing prison overcrowding in England and Wales.
- Data from the Ministry of Justice shows the prison population reached 87,499 on Monday, rising by 1,738 in three months; the 2026 Sentencing Act enables ministers to reduce the release threshold from 40% to a third.
- Ministers intervened to exempt rapists and serious child sex offenders, and those convicted of manslaughter, including the killers of Pc Andrew Harper, remain excluded from eligibility.
- Following backlash over initial proposals, Justice Secretary Alex Norris apologised to victims after ministers tightened eligibility criteria. Previous schemes freed 13,325 prisoners between October 2023 and September 2024.
- Some 5,000 prisoners are scheduled for release in stages over the next year, with the current population remaining 1,022 below the record high of 88,521 reached in September 2024.
Insights by Ground AI
6 Articles
6 Articles
Evening Standard+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Hundreds of prisoners to walk free as expanded early release scheme begins
The killers of Pc Andrew Harper will not be eligible for early release.
·London, United Kingdom
Read Full ArticleCoverage Details
Total News Sources6
Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center2Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 33%
R 17%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
