Overview
- Justice Secretary Alex Norris told police chiefs on Wednesday that he plans to introduce secondary legislation to amend the Sentencing Act and stop early release for certain manslaughter convictions, a step reported to cover Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole.
- The change targets unlawful‑act manslaughter, which means a death caused while committing a separate illegal act, and would not necessarily apply to voluntary or gross‑negligence manslaughter.
- The 2026 Sentencing Act allows the early‑release threshold for some fixed‑term prisoners to fall from 40% of a sentence toward one‑third, a policy meant to ease severe prison overcrowding and that initially put about 6,000 people in scope.
- Public pressure from police leaders, a petition of over a million signatures, and strong statements from PC Andrew Harper’s widow pushed the Prime Minister to order a review and to already exclude rapists and child sex offenders from the scheme.
- Ministers say the legal carve‑out is an interim measure while the formal review continues and the Government must balance keeping serious offenders in custody with the practical need to create prison space and avoid predictable legal challenges.