About 1,000 fewer prisoners will be released early in England and Wales after the prime minister stepped in to make sure people convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences, and grooming are not included. Justice Secretary Alex Norris confirmed on 4 August 2026 that 5,000 prisoners would now be released over 10 months starting in October. The original plan was to free 6,000 starting in September. The Guardian

The prime minister announced on Monday that these exclusions would be written into the rules. Think of it like a guest list: certain crimes now automatically cross your name off. Some prisoners serving time for other sexual or violent offences can still qualify for early release at the halfway point of their sentence, as long as they have not broken serious prison rules.

Norris told Sky News he wanted to block even more categories from early release, but said doing so would make the prison system "break down." He also said no further emergency release schemes would be needed, pointing to future changes in sentencing law as the way to keep prison numbers manageable long-term.

The decision to narrow the scheme came after political turbulence. Burnham paused the plan in late July 2026 after families of victims spoke out. He ordered an "urgent review" and said no prisoners would be freed early until it was done. At the time, the scheme was still expected to go ahead that autumn. BBC News Channel 4 News

The review is now finished, and the updated scheme reflects what it found. Burnham, writing in the Telegraph on Monday evening, said the crisis started because previous governments failed to build enough prison space. Between 2010 and 2024, he said, only 500 new prison places were added while 23 prisons were shut down. The Guardian

The new rules have not settled every difficult case. Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, two of the three teenagers convicted in connection with the death of PC Andrew Harper, were jailed for 13 years in 2020 for manslaughter and will still be eligible for early release. Henry Long, the main perpetrator, got 16 years and will not be released early. PC Harper was a 28-year-old police officer who died in August 2019 after being caught in a strap attached to a car and dragged down a road while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. The three teenagers were fleeing a burglary.

The Harper case shows how hard it is to draw the line. People convicted of manslaughter with shorter sentences still qualify for early release. Those who got longer sentences for more serious roles in the same crime do not.

The bigger picture here is a problem that built up over more than a decade. Adding only 500 prison places over 14 years while closing 23 prisons left a gap too large for any quick fix to close. Norris's claim that sentencing changes will solve the problem long-term puts a lot of faith in new laws that have not yet been tested against how many people actually pass through the justice system.

For now, the government has chosen a middle path. The scheme will release about one-sixth fewer prisoners than originally planned while still freeing enough space to keep prisons running. Whether the current exclusions stay as they are or get expanded will depend on what happens when the first prisoners are released in October, how the public reacts, and whether sentencing reforms make it through Parliament.