Prisoners who committed rape, grooming, and serious child sex offences will be excluded from the forthcoming early release scheme for England and Wales, the government has announced. Prime Minister Andy Burnham had previously paused plans to release certain prisoners on 23 July to conduct an urgent review, following significant backlash from survivors and victims. The scheme is now set to restart in October.
Burnham stated he "wanted to go even further," but argued that doing so would risk the collapse of the prison system, which he claimed would put the public "at much greater risk." In a statement announcing the changes on Monday, the Prime Minister said, "I fully understand the anger, anxiety and distress that's been caused. I've heard that loud and clear."
Lissie Harper, the widow of police officer Andrew Harper, previously described it as "disgusting" that her husband’s killers could be eligible for early release. PC Harper, 28, was killed in 2019 when he was dragged by a car down a country road as three teenagers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Berkshire. His family had received a letter from the Ministry of Justice confirming the offenders who killed the officer could be included in the scheme. Following the latest announcement, Lissie Harper said she remained "beyond appalled and bristling with anger to hear that Andrew's killers are soon to be free to roam the streets."
To address concerns, the government announced an extra £10 million will be allocated to frontline victim support services, including a new national helpline. Under Burnham's announced changes, rape and child sexual offences will now be excluded from the scheme. This move does not require changes to existing legislation before October, though the government may make future amendments to exclude certain other offenders.
The Sentencing Act, amended in January, bases eligibility for early release on the length of a fixed sentence rather than the type of offence. The act already excluded some of the most serious offenders, such as those serving life sentences or extended sentences. Under the new rules, offenders of other crimes serving sentences of four years or more will be eligible for release halfway through their sentences, rather than the previous two-thirds requirement. Those serving less serious sentences could be freed after a third of their time, rather than half.
The changes are due to be phased in, beginning with prisoners serving sentences of less than 575 days, and scaling up to include inmates jailed for 12 years or more by June 2027. Burnham noted the "presumption" will be that offenders are tagged and face longer periods of supervision, including "restriction zones." The number of individuals released will depend on the evolving prison population.
Separately, those who serve the full sentence and are convicted of rape or serious child sex offences will face stronger surveillance, including 12 months of GPS monitoring and strengthened community supervision. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy called the announcement a "U-turn" and argued it "doesn't go far enough." He stated, "Some child sex offenders and killers … will still be released early. And the trauma of victims being told their abusers may be released can't be undone." Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs also criticised the decision not to exclude domestic abuse perpetrators, stating it is critical that no abuser is released in October unless victim safety is not compromised.
