Rapists and child sex offenders to be barred from early release scheme
The UK government has announced that prisoners convicted of rape and serious child sex offenses will be excluded from a new early release scheme designed to combat prison overcrowding. The decision follows public outcry, including from the mother of PC Andrew Harper, who expressed concern that her son's killers might be eligible for early release.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between managing prison capacity and ensuring public safety and justice for victims of violent crime.
Figure caption, Watch: 'The worst has happened,' says mother of PC Harper
The mother of PC Andrew Harper has told the BBC she is "devastated" two of his killers remain eligible for early release after the government revised plans to tackle overcrowding.
Prisoners who committed rape, grooming, and serious child sex offences will be excluded from the scheme for England and Wales, the government announced on Monday.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he "wanted to go even further", but that would not be possible without the prison system collapsing and putting the public "at much greater risk".
PC Harper, 28, was killed in 2019 when he was dragged by a car down a country road as three teenagers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Berkshire.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, his mother, Debbie Adlam, said: "It feels like we're letting Andrew down again.
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