What could happen to prisoner early release scheme now PM has paused it?

Image source, PA Media By Dominic Casciani Home and Legal Correspondent Published 6 minutes ago Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pausing an early release scheme for some prisoners in England and Wales. His decision comes after the widow of PC Andrew Harper described the possibility of his killers being freed early as "deplorable". Under the new Sentencing Act set to come into force in September, some 6,000 criminals were due to be released at varying stages - the aim being to ease overcrowding. The prime minister has said that "no prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public." His move now raises questions about how the scheme might operate. How would the early release scheme have worked? Earlier this year Parliament voted through the Sentencing Act 2026 to radically reform the rules governing the sentencing and management of prisoners. This was part of the Starmer government's plan to tackle an unprecedented crisis of overcrowded jails. One part of the plan means that most jailed offenders on fixed terms will leave jail after serving a third of their term behind bars, rather than at the halfway point. They will be monitored in the community and allowed to stay out if they can show they are on the road to rehabilitation. The plan was that from 2 September, prisoners would be released at this earlier point - starting with those serving up to 19 months. Could the scheme be scrapped? That would need a vote in Parliament - and Parliament is on holiday for the summer. In theory the PM could delay its implementation - but the problem then is that this would mean the prison population would begin to head towards crisis point as cells fill up again. How many offenders would benefit? We expect up to 6,000 offenders to benefit from the scheme as it comes into force in September and in practice governors are under a presumption to release inmates. Parliamentary reports have repeatedly warned that the probation services are not in a fit state - so there is genuine concern that officers working flat out to manage huge numbers of offenders already in the community could find their workload gets even worse. What happened to PC Andrew Harper? Image source, PA Media In 2019 the 28-year-old officer was killed when he was dragged down a road in Berkshire after getting caught in a strap attached to the back of a car that teenage burglary suspects were using to flee the scene. Henry Long, 18 at the time, was the driver and the jury did not convict him of murder because it was not sure he knew he was dragging the officer along as he drove off. But he, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 17 at the time, were all convicted of manslaughter - which means causing an unlawful death, without necessarily intending to do so. They were all jailed in 2020: Long for 16 years and Bowers and Cole for 13 years. When did the men expect to be freed? Image source, Thames Valley Police Image