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700 Prisoners Walk Free on Day One of Early Release Scheme
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The Shadow Justice Secretary called today's releases "an insult to victims, a danger to the public".
Around 700 prisoners walked free across England and Wales today, the first wave of the government's expanded early release scheme. Some 5,000 are due to be released in stages over the next year, according to ITV News.
Under the Sentencing Act 2026, eligible lower-risk prisoners can now be released after serving just a third of their sentence, down from between 40% and 50%. Higher-risk offenders will be released at the halfway point instead of two thirds. On a six-year sentence, that means two years inside rather than four, according to the Institute for Government.
Releases took place at prisons including Durham, Cardiff, Bristol, Wandsworth, Leeds and Wormwood Scrubs.
Why it is happening
The reason is space. The prison population stood at 87,499 on Monday, up by 1,738 since June. Adult male prisons are running at 97% capacity, and without action the system was expected to be full by November.
The government insists the public will be protected. Released prisoners will be electronically tagged, and some will face exclusion zones, drug testing and bans from pubs and clubs. Lord Chancellor Alex Norris called it "the toughest-ever range of tools to control prison leavers and better protect the public".
Why it is alarming
The safeguards depend on a probation service that was already struggling before thousands more people were added to its caseload. Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman warned that "bold assertions in press releases are no substitute for effective planning", and said the service still lacks the resources it needs.
Some offences are excluded, including rape, serious child sex offences, grooming offences, manslaughter and causing death by dangerous driving. But the scheme covers a wide range of other crimes, and many victims will now see offenders back in their communities years earlier than they were told at sentencing.
Many victims will now see offenders back in their communities years earlier than they were told at sentencing.
This is also not the first time. The previous government released more than 13,000 prisoners early between October 2023 and September 2024. Two governments in a row have reached for the same emergency lever because the country has not built the prison places it needs.
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy called today's releases "an insult to victims, a danger to the public".
