Hundreds of criminals start leaving prison under new early release scheme
Summary
A new government program in England and Wales has started releasing hundreds of prisoners early to prevent prisons from becoming too full. These prisoners will be monitored with electronic tags, but there are concerns about whether the system can keep communities safe and if there are enough resources for supervision.Key Facts
- Around 700 prisoners have been released early, with about 4,500 planned to be freed between October 2026 and June 2027.
- The early release scheme focuses on prisoners with shorter sentences, while those with very long or indeterminate sentences are excluded.
- Electronic tagging and other monitoring methods will be used to track released prisoners.
- Prisons in England and Wales are nearly full, with a 98.2% occupancy rate as of October 2026.
- The program was introduced to manage overcrowding after earlier releases under a previous government freed over 10,000 prisoners.
- Some crimes, like manslaughter and child-related offenses, were removed from eligibility after a government review.
- Victims' groups have expressed worry that early release may put victims at risk.
- Officials acknowledge challenges in ensuring effective monitoring and safety after release.
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