Politics · United Kingdom · 7 hrs ago
About 650 prisoners in England and Wales to be released early
About 650 prisoners in England and Wales are due to leave jail early on Tuesday in the third phase of a government scheme to ease prison overcrowding.
The new rules allow this group, serving sentences of up to three years and two months, to leave after serving no more than a third of their sentence in prison instead of half.
At least 1,350 people have already been released early since the scheme began on 1 October, and officials expect at least 2,500 releases by the end of the year.
Some people convicted of violent offences may be included, but more than 70 categories of offence, including rape and manslaughter, are excluded.
Released prisoners are meant to be monitored in the community, often with electronic tags and licence conditions, while probation officers oversee them; victims’ groups have raised concerns about the releases.
The scheme is intended to create more room in crowded jails, which had 2,076 spare places in the latest figures, and further releases are planned through next June; a vote on possible probation-service strike action is expected on Friday.
Around 650 more offenders are due to leave jails in England and Wales on Tuesday under the third phase of the government’s early-release scheme.
Under the rules, they will have served no more than a third of their sentence in prison, rather than half.
The cohort includes people serving sentences of up to three years and two months, and may include some offenders convicted of violent offences.
At least 1,350 offenders have already been released early since 1 October, and officials project at least 2,500 will have been released by the end of the year.
The scheme aims to ease the prison population crisis, while victims’ groups and survivors have raised concerns about who is being released.
- Who
- Around 650 offenders in England and Wales.
- What
- They are due to be released early under the third phase of the government’s scheme.
- When
- Tuesday, 10 November 2026.
- Where
- Jails in England and Wales.
- Why
- The government’s plan aims to address the prison population crisis.
Government early-release scheme
Victims’ groups and survivors
Purpose
Government early-release scheme
The scheme is part of a plan to address the prison population crisis.
Victims’ groups and survivors
They have raised concerns about offenders, including perpetrators of domestic abuse, being released.
The first releases under the scheme began.
At least 1,350 offenders left jail early in the first two waves.
Around 650 more offenders are due to leave jail in the third phase.
Officials project that at least 2,500 offenders will have been released early.
The staged releases are due to culminate with offenders serving more than 12 years.
- Third phase
- Around 650 offenders
- Sentence length
- Up to three years and two months
- Time served before release
- No more than a third of the sentence
- Releases since 1 October
- At least 1,350
- Projected releases by year-end
- At least 2,500
What people are saying
perpetrators of such abuse were among those being released