Overview
- Government data show 38,042 prisoners were released early between the scheme’s launch on 10 September 2024 and 30 June 2025, averaging 129 a day over that period.
- The SDS40 policy allows eligible fixed‑term prisoners to leave custody after serving 40% of their sentence rather than 50%, with the largest numbers released from HMP Humber, Berwyn, Fosse Way and Parc B.
- More than 1,000 people sentenced to at least 10 years were among those freed early, including 346 with sentences of 14 years or more, according to Ministry of Justice breakdowns.
- Recalls reached 11,041 in April–June 2025, up 13% year on year and described by the MoJ as historically high, driven largely by non‑compliance with licence conditions and changes to recall rules for short sentences.
- The total prison population stood at 87,465 on 30 September 2025, as ministers advance a Sentencing Bill proposing earned‑release and tougher community punishments and press on with plans for 14,000 extra prison places, with 2,500 opened since last July.