Overview
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the change on Monday after an urgent review, saying rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming will be barred from the early‑release provisions.
- The first tranche of the Sentencing Act changes still leaves thousands eligible for earlier release, with government briefings citing around 6,000 offenders due to be affected in the initial phase.
- Two of PC Andrew Harper’s convicted manslaughterers remain eligible under the revised rules, prompting strong condemnation from his widow, his mother and Thames Valley Police leaders.
- Senior police chiefs warn managing extra offenders in the community will add large costs and workload for forces, a figure described by one senior officer as running into the 'hundreds of millions' and forcing reprioritisation of duties.
- Ministers say stricter licence conditions will apply to those released early — including a presumption of electronic tagging, longer supervision, exclusion zones, GPS for sex offenders, £10m for victim support and a pledge to build thousands more prison places by 2031.