Burnham to focus on keeping child rapists in prison as release scheme talks enter final day
Summary
Andy Burnham is working to prevent child sexual offenders from being released early under a new government plan to reduce prison overcrowding. The government is deciding which serious criminals can be exempted from early release as prison space runs low, with a decision expected soon.Key Facts
- The government plans to release some prisoners early to ease overcrowding in prisons in England and Wales.
- Ministers have about 24 hours to decide which serious criminals will be exempt from early release.
- Child rapists and serious sexual abuse offenders may be kept in prison longer due to safety concerns.
- The early release scheme will start this autumn and affect roughly 700 inmates initially.
- The plan includes expanding electronic tagging to monitor released offenders.
- New sentencing laws passed in January allow earlier release for some prisoners but impose stricter rules for serious crimes.
- Victims’ groups and officials warn that high numbers of prisoners may limit exemptions for serious offenders.
- Families of victims, including that of PC Andrew Harper, have expressed anger about potential early release of offenders.
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