Burnham gets the early prison release changes he wanted - but at what cost?
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced stricter early release criteria for prisoners, despite warnings that the move could push the prison system to capacity limits. The decision is viewed as a political maneuver to address public safety concerns, though it lacks immediate, sustainable solutions for prison overcrowding.
Why it matters
The policy highlights the tension between political pressure for tougher sentencing and the practical realities of infrastructure capacity.
By Jack Fenwick Political correspondent Published 11 minutes ago The prime minister's announcement that he will keep hundreds of criminals behind bars who would otherwise have been released early is one he has wanted to make for weeks.
Andy Burnham had already expanded the list of people ineligible for early release and had consistently said he wanted to go further.
What is not clear is exactly what has changed to allow him to do so.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice warned that exempting any more prisoners risked "prisons reaching capacity and collapsing".
The prime minister himself previously said he had "pushed to the very limits of what is possible to do".
In his exclusive interview with BBC Breakfast, Burnham picked out the release of people on controversial indefinite sentences and the deportation of foreign criminals as measures that had made his latest intervention possible.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in