Hundreds more offenders to be released early from prisons across England and Wales

Around 650 more offenders are beginning to leave prisons across England and Wales under the Government's early release programme, as ministers continue efforts to tackle overcrowding and ease pressure on the prison system.

The third phase of the scheme began on Tuesday, 10 November, with prisoners serving sentences of up to three years and two months eligible for release after serving no more than one-third of their sentence behind bars, rather than the previous halfway point.

At least 1,350 offenders have already been released early since 1 October under the first two phases.

The Government expects at least 2,500 prisoners to have been released through the programme by the end of the year.

Who is being released?

The latest group includes people convicted of offences such as affray, burglary and fraud.

Some offenders convicted of violent offences, including wounding, grievous bodily harm with intent and lower-level firearms offences, may also qualify.

However, the scheme excludes people convicted of more than 70 categories of serious offences.

These include:

• Manslaughter

• Rape and other sexual offences

• Grooming offences

• Offences involving life sentences

The programme is being introduced in stages, with prisoners serving increasingly longer sentences becoming eligible over time. The final phase is scheduled for June 2027 and will include some offenders serving sentences of more than 12 years.

Prison overcrowding remains a major concern

The early release programme is intended to reduce pressure on an increasingly overcrowded prison estate.

The latest weekly figures show that there were 86,982 people in prison in England and Wales on Monday.

There were approximately 2,076 spare places available, around 500 more than before the scheme began in October.

While the additional capacity provides some breathing space, the Government continues to face the challenge of ensuring that prisons have sufficient space to accommodate offenders safely.

Concerns over victims and public safety

The programme has attracted criticism from victims' organisations and survivors, particularly over concerns about the release of people convicted of violent and domestic abuse-related offences.

Refuge, which supports survivors of domestic abuse, previously told the BBC that perpetrators of domestic abuse were among those being released.

Under the scheme, prisoners released early are generally expected to serve the remainder of the relevant period in the community under licence conditions.

These can include electronic tagging, restrictions on where they can go and bans on contacting victims.

Probation officers are responsible for monitoring offenders, ensuring they attend appointments and participate in rehabilitation programmes, while checking that licence conditions are followed.

Breaching those conditions can result in an offender being recalled to prison.

However, the Government has not yet published figures showing the recall rate specifically for prisoners released under this programme.

Pressure on probation services

The early release programme has also increased pressure on probation services, which are responsible for supervising offenders once they leave prison.

The probation union Napo has warned that the releases have placed enormous strain on its members.

Its members have recently been balloted on potential strike action over pay and working conditions, with the result expected on Friday.

The Ministry of Justice has offered probation officers a 5% pay rise, while the union has sought 12% to address losses in earnings following cuts introduced since 2010.

The Government says its offer is fair and points to a wider £700m investment in probation services.

The funding includes plans to recruit an additional 1,300 probation officers and introduce artificial intelligence tools to help reduce the administrative workload involved in supervising offenders.

Political debate over early release

The policy has also become a point of political disagreement.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has previously criticised the programme, saying she was concerned about dangerous offenders being released before completing their sentences or being properly rehabilitated.

However, early release is not unique to the current Government.

A similar scheme introduced by the Conservatives resulted in more than 10,000 prisoners being released early between October 2023 and September 2024.

What happens next?

The third phase will see hundreds more prisoners released, with further groups becoming eligible as the programme progresses towards June 2027.

The Government will need to balance the immediate need to reduce prison overcrowding with public protection, effective rehabilitation and the ability of probation services to supervise offenders safely.

For victims and communities, the key questions will remain whether appropriate safeguards are in place, whether licence conditions are enforced and whether offenders are being properly supported and monitored after release.

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