Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy has told the BBC that dangerous criminals could still be released under the Prime Minister's early release scheme. Mr Timothy stated, "In order to prevent one group of dangerous criminals being released early, he's looking at releasing a different group of dangerous prisoners."
These comments follow Prime Minister Andy Burnham's announcement that the early prisoner release scheme would be further narrowed to exclude anyone convicted of manslaughter. This decision was made after a campaign from the family of PC Andrew Harper to block the release of two men convicted of his manslaughter in 2019.
Mr Burnham said that additional prison space would be created partly by releasing some inmates serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences. IPP sentences were given to offenders between 2005 and 2012 who were deemed to pose a significant risk to public safety. Ministry of Justice data up to June of this year showed 2,271 people were serving these sentences, with 856 never released as the Parole Board deemed it unsafe.
Mr Timothy argued that those still in prison on IPP sentences are dangerous, as independent expert assessors have concluded they are not safe to release. However, he acknowledged the Prime Minister is addressing an overcrowding problem not of his making, stating that a failure of the last Conservative government was not building enough prison places.
Alex Davies Jones, Minister for Victims, Violence Against Women and Girls & International Justice, told the BBC that the government's priority is public safety and a functioning criminal justice system. The release scheme aims to ensure "there is always a prison space available for someone who needs it."
The early release scheme, introduced under the Sentencing Act 2026 to address prison overcrowding, is scheduled to start on 1 October. Besides manslaughter, those sentenced for rape, serious child sex, and grooming offences are also ineligible for early release.