Key facts
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced changes to the early release scheme to ease prison overcrowding.
- Individuals convicted of unlawful killing, including manslaughter, will be excluded from early release.
- PC Andrew Harper's killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, will remain in jail.
- The government will end Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.
- Hundreds of foreign prisoners are expected to be deported.
- Additional exemptions from early release include indecent assault, death by dangerous driving, historic child sex offences, and causing or allowing the death of a child.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced significant changes to the UK's early release scheme, aimed at alleviating prison overcrowding and responding to public outcry, particularly concerning the potential release of PC Andrew Harper's killers. In an exclusive interview, Burnham stated that individuals convicted of unlawful killing, including manslaughter, will be excluded from the scheme. This decision ensures that Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, convicted of manslaughter in the 2019 death of PC Harper, will remain incarcerated. The scheme, designed to ease pressure on the prison system which is over 97% full, was set to begin on October 1.
Burnham detailed that additional prison capacity will be generated through several measures. These include the deportation of hundreds of foreign prisoners, with new powers to be implemented early next year to facilitate immediate deportation after sentencing. Furthermore, the government will terminate Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, which have been a long-standing concern due to indefinite detention. Burnham cited 'common sense' in prioritizing the release of individuals who have served their time over those who have not, addressing the situation where many IPP prisoners have served beyond their minimum term without release.
In addition to manslaughter convictions, the early release scheme will now exclude prisoners convicted of indecent assault, death by dangerous driving, historic child sex offences, and causing or allowing the death of a child. New 'restriction zones' will also be implemented to enhance protection for domestic violence survivors. These changes are expected to keep 'hundreds' more prisoners behind bars. The Sentencing Act 2026, which introduced the early release mechanism, was met with fierce opposition from victims' families and former colleagues of PC Harper, whose widow, Lissie Harper, and mother, Debbie Adlam, had vocally campaigned against the prospect of his killers' early release. The driver of the getaway car, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence for manslaughter and was not eligible for early release under the previous terms.