How the new prison release scheme will work
The UK government is implementing a permanent early prison release scheme to address severe overcrowding in England and Wales. Eligible offenders will now be released after serving one-third of their sentence instead of half, starting with those serving shorter terms.
Why it matters
This policy shift highlights the critical state of the UK justice system and the government's struggle to manage prison capacity while balancing public safety.
Image source, Andrew Aitchison/Getty By Dominic Casciani Home and Legal Correspondent Published 1 October 2026, 02:00 BST About 700 eligible offenders will leave jails in England and Wales on 1 October while some 2,550 are due to be released by the end of the year, under the government's early prison release plan.
So why are so many people being let out of jail earlier than expected and how have they been chosen?
Quite simply, prisons are almost full - and not for the first time.
As of last Friday, there were 87,499 people in 120 jails across England and Wales - with around 1,500 available beds. At this rate, there would be no spare cells by Christmas.
The early release scheme was developed because of a crisis the Labour government inherited when it came to power in July 2024.
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