Government revises early release scheme after probation warning
The government has revised its early prison release scheme following warnings from the chief inspector of probation about increased crime risk.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Government revises early prison release scheme after probation warning
The government has revised its early prison release scheme, excluding rapists, serious child sex offenders and grooming gang members from early release, but two of the men convicted of killing PC Andrew Harper remain eligible under the revised plans.
The scheme, introduced under the previous Labour government to ease prison overcrowding, was paused by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham after the case of PC Harper's killers sparked public outrage. PC Harper, 28, was killed in 2019 when he was dragged behind a car while responding to a quad bike theft in Berkshire. Three teenagers were convicted of his manslaughter: Henry Long, the driver, was jailed for 16 years, while passengers Albert Bowers and Jesse Cole were each sentenced to 13 years.
Under the revised scheme, which will now begin in October rather than September, around 5,000 prisoners will be released early, down from the original 6,000. Offenders convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming offences will be excluded, but those convicted of manslaughter, including Bowers and Cole, remain eligible.
The changes came after the chief inspector of probation warned that the early release of thousands of prisoners could lead to a serious sexual or violent offence or even murder, because probation staff are already overwhelmed with their workload. The Ministry of Justice said it had invested a record £700 million into probation to ensure staff have the resources they need.
PC Harper's widow, Lissie, described the decision as "deplorable" and "an utter betrayal", while his mother, Debbie Adlam, said she felt "very let down" and that her son was "being let down again by the government". A petition calling for the killers to be kept in jail has gathered almost a million signatures.
More than 50 police chiefs have signed a letter urging the Prime Minister to pursue every legal option to prevent the early release of PC Harper's killers. Thames Valley Police, the force PC Harper served with, is considering joining legal action.
In the latest development, Burnham has asked the Justice Secretary to draw up a plan to keep a greater number of the most serious offenders in prison, including the killers of PC Harper. The Prime Minister said he was "increasingly confident" that a solution could be found, and that the plan would include returning more foreign national offenders to their country of origin and reviewing indefinite sentences.
The government maintains that without the early release scheme, the prison system would collapse, leaving police unable to make arrests and courts unable to try cases. But victims' groups and opposition parties have criticised the scheme, with the Conservatives saying Labour has performed a "massive U-turn" and Reform UK proposing to send foreign prisoners abroad.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Bowers and Jesse Cole, convicted of manslaughter of PC Andrew Harper, were eligible for early release under the government's prison overcrowding scheme. | ||||||||
| Prime Minister said the early prisoner release scheme could be reviewed after concerns from PC Harper's family. | ||||||||
| Rapists will be banned from early prison release under a new scheme. | ||||||||
| The Prime Minister ordered a pause to the early release scheme. | ||||||||
| PC Andrew Harper's widow Lissy Harper called the prospect of early release deplorable and plans to mount a legal challenge. | · | |||||||
| The early release scheme allows prisoners to be released after serving half of their sentence instead of two-thirds. | · | |||||||
| The early release scheme will see hundreds of inmates released early from September, including some convicted of serious sexual offences. | · | |||||||
| The government said without decisive action prisons will run out of space, leaving nowhere for serious offenders. | · | |||||||
| The Sentencing Act passed in 2026 reduced the proportion of sentence served in prison from 40% or 50% to 33% for some offenders. | · | |||||||
| The Prime Minister expressed confidence that prison capacity work will allow a reduction in early release, including for the killers of PC Andrew Harper. | · | · | ||||||
| Around 6,000 criminals could be freed early under the scheme. | · | · | · | |||||
| Labour committed to an early prisoner release scheme upon taking office. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News took a strongly critical, right-leaning stance, focusing on the political damage to Burnham, the hot mic incident involving ministers joking about the scheme, and framing the PC Harper case as a betrayal. The channel highlighted the government's flip-flopping and the fact that "cop killers will go free" while rapists and groomers would be excluded.
- “So essentially Andy Burnham's had a look at the situation that was sparked by the killers of PC Harper about to be released early, he said don't worry lads, I'll review it. And then it turns out that his review has culminated in them being allowed out of prison but I suppose at least rapists and groomers will have to stay behind bars, what a world we live in.”
- “I feel for the family it's an appalling crime that was committed. The main perpetrator will not be subject to any early release.”
- “So there you go. So two of the three killers of PC Andrew Harper, which is what sparked this whole review by Andy Burnham, could now go free.”
Sky News provided balanced, factual reporting, covering the details of the scheme changes, the political implications, and the human impact. The channel interviewed correspondents and the Justice Secretary, and gave airtime to both government and victim perspectives.
- “It makes me feel sick, she said. Andrew's life doesn't get to come back. It feels like a slap in the face and an insult.”
- “The government had to be forced into this by me and so many other people bringing the victims out. They shouldn't have had to do that. And yet still, killers are going to be released.”
5 News focused on the human impact, particularly PC Harper's mother and widow, and other victims. The channel conducted emotional interviews with family members and highlighted the personal cost of the scheme.
- “I feel very let down, I think, from our perspective, but also everything that we feel and do is with Andrew in mind, and we basically feel like Andrew's being let down again by the government.”
- “I feel for the family it's an appalling crime that was committed. I've spoken to the new Justice Secretary. We will review the policy together and make further statements in due course.”
BBC ONE West provided comprehensive factual reporting, covering the scheme details, the Harper case, the political dimensions, the probation warning, and the police chiefs' letter. The channel gave balanced coverage with interviews and analysis.
- “The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has said he will review the early prisoner release policy.”
- “I feel for the family it's an appalling crime that was committed. The main perpetrator will not be subject to any early release.”
ITV1 focused on the human impact, PC Harper's family, the political fallout, and the prison capacity crisis. The channel conducted interviews with the family and political correspondents, highlighting the emotional toll and the government's difficult choices.
- “I'm left just bitterly disappointed. I knew it was going to be possible that we were in this situation. But I had hope for better.”
- “The government has apologised to PC Andrew Harper's family as two of his killers will still be released early from prison.”
Newsnight provided in-depth analysis, interviews with victims, the chief inspector of probation, and political panel discussions. The channel was more analytical and detailed, exploring the legal and political complexities of the scheme.
- “I'm not fully confident that the probation service will be able to cope with this massive workload and there's a risk that things will go wrong.”
- “Nothing can prepare you for what we've had to go through, and now I feel like we're just going to go through more.”
Channel 4 focused on victims' concerns, the probation service crisis, domestic abuse survivors, and the human cost. The channel interviewed survivors and probation staff, highlighting systemic failures and the risk to public safety.
- “I feel upset. I feel like we've been disregarded, I feel like we've been pushed to one side.”
- “Plans to release thousands of domestic abuse perpetrators and stalkers early from prison does not boost victim protection. It means that more people, largely women, will be killed or harmed.”
BBC NEWS provided factual reporting, covering the scheme changes, the probation warning, the police chiefs' letter, and the political developments. The channel gave balanced coverage with expert analysis and correspondents.
- “The chief inspector of probation has warned the early release of thousands of prisoners could lead to a serious sexual or violent offense or even murder because probation staff are already overwhelmed with their workload.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.