Britain02 August, 20262 min read
Andy Burnham Bars Rapists And Child Sex Offenders From England And Wales Early Release Scheme
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Rapists and serious child sex offenders, including groomers, barred from early release. Rollout delayed from September to October amid overcrowding and safety concerns.
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Paused release, new exclusions
Prime Minister Andy Burnham paused plans to release some prisoners in September as part of a bid to stop unprecedented prison overcrowding, and the scheme will now restart in October. The government said prisoners who committed rape, grooming, and serious child sex offences will be excluded from the forthcoming early release scheme for England and Wales, while offenders serving longer sentences of four years or more will be eligible for release halfway through their sentences rather than two-thirds. Burnham said he "wanted to go even further", but that would not be possible without the prison system collapsing and putting the public "at much greater risk".
Under the Sentencing Act changes, the government said the "presumption" will be that offenders are tagged and will face longer periods of supervision and tough new rules including "restriction zones". The BBC reported a prison officer warning that "delaying the releases until October could mean we simply run out of space".
Victims, police, and officials
Lissie Harper, the widow of police officer Andrew Harper, said it was "disgusting" that his killers could be eligible for early release, and she later said she was "beyond appalled and bristling with anger". Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg said the decision not to exclude Pc Harper’s killers is "demoralising for all police officers". The Guardian reported that Dame Nicole Jacobs said the decision to exclude domestic abuse perpetrators was "wrong" and "puts victims’ lives at risk".
The BBC quoted Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy calling the move a "U-turn" and saying it "doesn't go far enough" because "Some child sex offenders and killers ... will still be released early." A probation officer told the BBC it is "not clear there's anything actually new here in terms of how probation staff are going to manage people being released earlier".
Tagging, GPS, and next steps
The government said those convicted of rape or serious child sex offences who serve the full sentence will face stronger surveillance after leaving prison, including 12 months of GPS monitoring and strengthened community supervision. The Herts Advertiser said Burnham assured the public that offenders will face tighter community supervision, including new GPS monitoring for rapists to restrict movements. The AOL.co.uk report said probation staff are set to be given real time data and powers to issue offenders random drug tests, with electronic tagging using devices "usually worn around the ankle".
A Government source quoted in AOL.co.uk said: "The new Justice Secretary wants to look at ramping up the use of technology to protect the public and ensure probation officers are always one step ahead of offenders." AOL.co.uk also said the real-time monitoring will go live across London, the West Midlands and the East of England in mid-August, and once pilots finish the technology will be available to all probation staff nationwide by the end of 2026.