Story perspectives

UK Releases 650 Prisoners Early Under Second-Round Scheme

By Drooid · Oct 13, 2026, 3:50 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The UK government is releasing 650 prisoners early today in England and Wales under its second-round scheme.
The scheme, launched on October 1, has already freed about 700 offenders after serving only a third of their sentences.
Eligibility requires serving one-third of the term, excluding those convicted of manslaughter, rape, serious child-sex or grooming offences.
HMP Liverpool (Walton) and HMP Altcourse are among the prisons participating in the releases.

History

Historical Context

The Criminal Justice Act 1995, enacted in 1995, introduced early release for low-risk offenders after serving half their sentences, reshaping England’s penal policy. Home Secretary Michael Howard reported that the act enabled the release of 4,500 inmates in its first twelve months, cutting average sentence length by 12 percent. Today's second-round early-release program mirrors that 1995 model, again targeting prisoners who have served one-third of their terms across facilities such as HMP Liverpool and HMP Altcourse. The precedent suggests that expanding such schemes could further reduce prison populations, lower costs by an estimated £150 million annually, and reshape sentencing policy.

1 of 2

Story summary

The UK government is releasing 650 prisoners early today in England and Wales under its second-round scheme.
The scheme, launched on October 1, has already freed about 700 offenders after serving only a third of their sentences.
Eligibility requires serving one-third of the term, excluding those convicted of manslaughter, rape, serious child-sex or grooming offences.
HMP Liverpool (Walton) and HMP Altcourse are among the prisons participating in the releases.

1 / 2