The prison early release plan in England and Wales has been put on hold, with Andy Burnham saying no inmates will be freed under the policy until an urgent review is finished and public risk has been reduced. The move halts a scheme that would have made thousands of prisoners eligible for earlier release as the government tried to ease overcrowding in the prison system.
The decision came after strong criticism from survivors and victims’ families, including the widow of PC Andrew Harper, who called the prospect of his killers’ early release “deplorable.” Burnham said the pause was necessary to make sure the policy was handled properly. He said the government would not move ahead until it had “done everything we can to minimise risk to the public,” and added that any needed changes would be made without hesitation.
Under the Sentencing Act, which was due to take effect in September, some offenders would have been released after serving one third of their sentence rather than half. More serious offenders on fixed terms would have been released after serving half their sentence instead of two thirds. The rest of their sentence would have been spent in the community under monitoring, with the possibility of being returned to prison if they offended again. The most serious offenders, including life prisoners and those under extended monitoring, would not have been eligible.
The new Justice Secretary, Alex Norris, said the pause was meant to “give victims and survivors certainty” and to make sure the government got the policy’s implementation right. He also said the review would examine what information victims and survivors’ families receive during the early release process. Norris, who voted for the Sentencing Act under Starmer’s government, said the change followed listening to victims and survivors across the country. He declined to explain why he had not raised concerns earlier, but said Burnham was right to review the scheme.
The backlash has been personal and intense. The family of PC Harper, a Thames Valley Police officer killed in Berkshire in 2019 after he was dragged along a country road by three teenagers, were among the loudest critics. Two of the men convicted of his killing, both sentenced to 13 years, would have been affected by the scheme from June 2027 when longer fixed sentences came under its terms. Harper’s widow, Lissie, said politicians were making decisions from behind a desk that would have lasting consequences for families. His mother said he had not been given proper justice and argued that every victim would feel the same way about the plan.
