The Sentencing Act early release scheme began today, with the first 700 of an expected 4,500 eligible prisoners released as part of ten scheduled waves running through June 2027. The government says releases are needed because prisons are near capacity, with Ministry of Justice data showing 87,499 people incarcerated and occupancy at 98.2 percent. Under the law, offenders who would previously serve 40 percent or 50 percent of their sentence will leave after a third, and those who previously served two thirds will leave after half; indeterminate sentences remain excluded. Initial releases included prisoners serving up to 19 months while those serving fixed sentences over 12 years will be released in later waves; the total eligible number was reduced from about 6,000 after Prime Minister Andy Burnham removed several offence categories from eligibility. The government plans expanded electronic tagging and other monitoring but Andrea Simon, London Victims' Commissioner, warned tagging cannot stop an offender committing new crimes and said some exemptions still leave victims facing a frightening prospect. Treasury minister James Murray acknowledged public concern, saying the system was inherited “on the brink” and without the scheme arrested people might not be able to be detained, while critics and probation staff have questioned whether supervision resources are sufficient.
