Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has voiced strong objections to the government's plan to release approximately 5,000 prisoners early in England and Wales, citing concerns that individuals convicted of serious crimes, including child sex offenses, could be freed before completing their full sentences. The government's initiative aims to alleviate overcrowding in jails.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham had announced measures to exclude prisoners convicted of rape, serious child sex offenses, and grooming offenses from early release. However, Badenoch stated in a letter that the current government exclusions do not go far enough. She pointed out that offenses such as indecent assault, which were used in many child sex abuse cases before 2004, are not explicitly listed as excluded from the early release scheme.
Badenoch characterized the potential early release of these offenders as a "betrayal of victims" and has urged Burnham to publish a comprehensive list of offenses that will remain eligible for early release. She highlighted cases from Rotherham and Rochdale where indecent assault charges were applied in child sex abuse cases, suggesting these individuals might still be eligible for the scheme.
The Ministry of Justice has been approached for comment on these specific concerns. Under the revised policy, individuals sentenced for rape, serious child sex offenses, and grooming offenses will be ineligible for early release starting in October. However, some prisoners not covered by these exclusions could be released after serving one-third of their sentence, rather than the previously standard 40% or 50%.
Burnham has indicated that further exclusions were not feasible without risking the collapse of the prison system and increasing public risk. The prison population in England and Wales stood at 86,495 on August 3, operating at 97% of usable capacity. The number of prison places has not kept pace with the rise in the prison population over recent decades.
Examples of cases that could be affected include Ajaz Karim, jailed for 21 months for indecently assaulting a 13-year-old girl, and Shahid Hussain, sentenced to eight years for indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 2003. The specific list of offenders eligible for release has not yet been confirmed by the government.
Additionally, the mother of PC Andrew Harper expressed devastation that two men convicted in connection with her son's killing would still be eligible for early release. PC Harper died in 2019 after being dragged by a car during a quad bike theft. The family had previously received confirmation from the Ministry of Justice that two of the offenders in that case could be included in the early release scheme.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris previously apologized to affected families, acknowledging they were "carrying the can from previous failures." The government plans to implement approximately 5,000 early releases in ten batches starting in October, a reduction from an initial estimate of about 6,000. The phased implementation will begin with prisoners serving sentences of less than 575 days, with those jailed for up to 12 years or more becoming eligible for early release by June 2027. The exact number of individuals released at each stage will depend on the evolving prison population figures.