The Sentencing Act early‑release scheme began today, with the first 700 prisoners freed and around 4,500 expected to be released across 10 waves by June 2027. The government says the measure is needed because prisons in England and Wales are close to capacity, with 87,499 people incarcerated, or 98.2% of capacity. Under the Act, offenders who would previously have served 40% or 50% of their sentences will leave after a third, and those who previously served two thirds will leave after half; indeterminate sentences are excluded. The government plans expanded use of electronic tagging and other monitoring, but victims and campaigners have criticised the scheme and London Victims' Commissioner Andrea Simon warned some exemptions still leave survivors at risk. Ministers acknowledge difficult choices and say without the scheme newly arrested people might not be able to be imprisoned, while critics and probation staff have questioned whether the Probation Service has enough resources to monitor thousands more people on release. The first release is the start of a scheduled programme of ten discharges, with the final tranche due in June 2027 and eligibility narrowed after Prime Minister Andy Burnham removed crimes such as manslaughter, grooming, and causing or allowing the death of a child from the scheme.
