Around 700 prisoners serving sentences of up to 19 months were released across England and Wales on Thursday under the early release scheme, which the government said will free up space and tackle overcrowding.
The Mirror was at HMP Brixton, where prisoners' friends and family gathered outside on Thursday morning in wait - alongside TV camera crews, guards and a handful of police officers. The gates swung open at regular intervals from 7.30am as a steady stream of prisoners emerged throughout the day, with some taken away in cars or vans. Others covered their faces and walked hurriedly down the quiet perimeter road, hoping to evade the eyes of the public. One shielded his head and most of his torso in a white plastic bag in a bizarre bid to conceal his identity.
Man with 360 convictions says he needs help
David Elliott, 50, spoke of his dire need for support upon his early release. He said: "I've been in and out of jail all my life. I've got 360 convictions. It's help I need, I've got an addiction to stealing."
Charlene Hefferman, 41, had come to pick up her brother Rikky. She said he was handed a one-year sentence for an "argument with his partner" - and had served only three months. Charlene said: "I'm very excited. He could have served up to a year for it, but he only did three months."
"I don't want my brother around that [prison] anymore. There's a lot that goes on in prisons that many people don't understand - a lot of bullying, killings, a lot of damage, 'you pay me this, you pay me that', threats on phones - so now I know he hasn't got to worry about anything."
She added: "A big thing happened to him before [when he was elsewhere]. He was put in with a lifer, and while he was sleeping he (the lifer) boiled a kettle and poured it over him. He was scarred, lost his hearing, lost his sight, and was stabbed in the eye. My older brother had to stand and watch that."
While she was pleased that would soon get to see her brother, she said of the early release scheme: "I think you need to look closely into the people you are releasing and thoroughly check who you are letting out and who you aren't."
Man re-arrested minutes after release
Three-and-a-half miles away at HMP Wandsworth, a man was arrested by police on Thursday morning only seconds after being freed - and led away in handcuffs. A British Transport Police spokesperson said: "A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of two counts of Theft of a Pedal Cycle today (October 1) at around 10.40am outside Wandsworth Prison. The man has been taken to custody."
But Labour is sure the move will work, stressing "significant investments" had been made to improve the monitoring of released prisoners. Speaking today, Justice Secretary Alex Norris said: "I've made significant investments to increase staffing, as I say, to give a wide range of tools, with (GPS) tags being the most obvious, but also alcohol tagging, restrictions on the ability to say go to the football or go out in the nighttime economy. So really strong controls on individuals, backed up by our absolutely brilliant probation staff. That gives us the confidence to make the changes we're making and to make sure we're managing people strongly in the community."
Prisons remain overcrowded
Measures under the Sentencing Act 2026 came into force on October 1 and led to the first wave of releases from prisons. It means criminals serving fixed-term sentences will serve a third of their time behind bars before being released, rather than half.
About 700 prisoners are being freed from jails early across England and Wales on Thursday in the Government's latest bid to cut overcrowding. This is in addition to about 1,000 who are typically freed each week. About 4,500 prisoners are scheduled to be released in 10 stages over the next year.
As of the end of August, there were 86,843 prisoners behind bars across England and Wales - taking up almost 98% of usable capacity, and leaving fewer than 2,100 places for new arrivals. Nearly one in four prisoners - 23% - is in overcrowded conditions, sharing cells designed to hold fewer people. Overcrowding can lead to a host of problems, including fewer opportunities for rehabilitation through training, education and employment, more time spent in cells, and an increase in assaults and self-harm.
The Ministry of Justice said: "Failure to act would put victims and the public at untold risk – with courts unable to hold trials, police unable to make arrests and crime going unpunished."
There's been a spike in the number of offenders being recalled to prison having been released on license. In the year to March 2026, more than 51,400 prisoners had their license recalled - up 28% from the year before. In comparison, in 2000 the recall population was closer to just 9,000 inmates.
The increase follows a prior early release scheme that was introduced in September 2024 as an emergency measure to try and ease overcrowding, with prisons reaching 99% capacity. This saw eligible prisoners serve just 40% of their sentence, rather than 50% - and while it was successful in the short term, the sharp rise in recalls limited the overall impact.
Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman said she was not convinced by ministers' claims that robust safeguards are in place. On Wednesday, she said: "As Victims' Commissioner, my concern is that the confidence being projected by government is not yet matched by the reality on the ground. Bold assertions in press releases are no substitute for effective planning, robust preparation and consistent delivery. All three have been in short supply."
Andy Burnham tightened the scheme over the summer so that those convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences, grooming and manslaughter are excluded from early release. It came after backlash over the planned early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers. PC Harper sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019. The 28-year-old police officer died after getting caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and dragged down a country road as the teenage suspects fled the scene of the burglary.
