Overview

• The independent sentencing review, led by David Gauke, recommends an 'earned progression' model allowing well-behaved prisoners to be released after serving one-third of their sentence, with serious offenders eligible for release after half.
• Justice Secretary Mahmood supports expanding chemical castration pilots to 20 prisons and is considering making the treatment mandatory for high-risk sex offenders, a controversial proposal requiring significant legal changes.
• Short custodial sentences of under 12 months would largely be replaced with community-based punishments, such as filling potholes or clearing fly-tipping sites, to reduce reoffending and free up prison space.
• Reforms to licence recall rules include a fixed 56-day period for breaches and eliminating recall for some offenders during the final third of their sentence, aiming to prevent unnecessary re-incarcerations.
• The government has committed £4.7 billion for prison expansion, promising 14,000 additional spaces by 2031, but warns that immediate reforms are needed to avoid running out of male prison capacity by November 2025.