Key facts
- Andy Burnham is focused on preventing the early release of child sexual abuse perpetrators.
- Government ministers have 24 hours to assess exemptions for an early release scheme aimed at easing prison overcrowding.
- The scheme, intended to release thousands of serious offenders, was halted in September but is expected to proceed with exemptions.
- Victims' representatives and support services have raised concerns about the risk to abuse victims.
- The Sentencing Act 2026 allows for earlier release of some serious offenders.
- The family of murdered PC Andrew Harper is outraged that his killers may be eligible for early release.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is prioritizing the exclusion of child sexual abuse perpetrators from a government early release scheme designed to alleviate critical prison overcrowding. Ministers are reportedly in a 24-hour assessment period to determine which serious offenders will be exempted, a move that has drawn strong reactions from victims' advocates and prison reform groups.
The controversial plan, initially intended to free thousands of individuals convicted of serious crimes, was paused in September. However, the government is keen to implement it with as many exceptions as possible to manage the strain on the prison estate. Victims' representatives have voiced concerns that a failure to implement adequate safeguards could put abuse victims at significant risk.
A review of the scheme is expected to conclude imminently, providing the prison service with time to prepare. The government faces a difficult balance: inaction risks prisons exceeding capacity, while granting exemptions for some offenders may lead to demands for others to also be kept incarcerated. David Lammy, a former justice secretary, previously warned of a potential collapse of the criminal justice system in England and Wales if the scheme is not implemented.
The early release scheme, which includes an expansion of electronic tagging, is still anticipated to commence this autumn with an initial group of approximately 700 offenders. This comes amid outrage from the family of PC Andrew Harper, whose killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, may be eligible for early release. The Sentencing Act 2026, passed earlier this year, permits certain serious offenders to be released after serving half their sentence instead of two-thirds, and less serious offenders after a third instead of 40%.
Jess Phillips, a former safeguarding minister and critic of the scheme, stated that while exemptions are necessary, a comprehensive system change is needed for managing victims and risks, involving victims' agencies, probation officers, and police. Victim's commissioner Claire Waxman has expressed cautious optimism after meeting with the new justice secretary, Alex Norris, who acknowledged that victims had been let down. However, prison reform groups and politicians have reacted negatively to Burnham's stance, warning that abandoning measures to ease jail overcrowding could lead to the system's collapse.