Key facts
- Hundreds of prisoners are being released early from jail in England and Wales starting Thursday.
- Approximately 2,000 criminals will be freed over the next month, with an additional 3,000 over the following year.
- Probation officers warn of a shortage of accommodation for released prisoners, with some hostels already full.
- The early release scheme is enabled by the 2026 Sentencing Act, allowing release at one-third of a fixed-term sentence.
- Exclusions from the scheme include those jailed for child grooming, indecent assault, and manslaughter.
- The Ministry of Justice is expanding electronic monitoring, but a recent report indicated delays in tag fitting.
Hundreds of prisoners are due to be released early from jails in England and Wales starting Thursday, as the government seeks to alleviate overcrowding. However, probation officers have warned that many of these individuals will have nowhere to live, and the probation system is already struggling to cope with staff shortages and high workloads.
The early release scheme, which allows ministers to reduce the point at which certain prisoners can be freed from 40% to a third of their sentence under the 2026 Sentencing Act, will see approximately 2,000 criminals freed over the next month, with another 3,000 to follow over the next year. This number was reduced from an initial proposal of 6,000 following intervention by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Probation sources indicate a severe shortage of accommodation for ex-offenders, with hostels full and concerns that some individuals may be released directly onto the streets. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the charity Nacro, emphasized the importance of providing housing to prevent reoffending. Napo, the probation officers' union, has also raised these concerns with prison bosses, anticipating critical levels of demand for beds from October 13.
Ministers argue that the expanded early release is necessary to prevent the collapse of the criminal justice system, citing a lack of prison places and increased sentence lengths under previous Conservative governments. However, the scheme excludes prisoners convicted of serious offenses like child grooming, indecent assault, and manslaughter. The Ministry of Justice is also expanding electronic monitoring, but a recent report highlighted significant delays in fitting tags, with only 55% of GPS and radio frequency tags and 60% of alcohol monitoring tags being fitted on time.
The Ministry of Justice stated that the government inherited prisons on the brink of collapse and a homelessness crisis, and is working to address these issues by building new prison places and investing in probation services.