Thousands of prisoners could be released early under Labour's plans to ease the prison overcrowding crisis, while Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have been caught joking about the issue. Victims of serious crimes may view this as a significant insult.
PC Andrew Harper's killers among those eligible
Among the criminals who could walk free are the two killers of police officer Andrew Harper. His mother has said it feels like an “insult” that two of her son’s killers may be eligible for early release from prison. PC Harper was 28 years old when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019. He died after getting caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and being dragged down a country road as three teenage suspects fled the scene.
Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were passengers in the car and both 17 years old at the time, were handed 13 years in custody for manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2020. Both men may be eligible for release from prison halfway through their sentences, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.
Thousands of serious offenders could be released
Other killers, rapists and sex offenders could also soon be released, with thousands of victims set to be told their attackers will be let out sooner than expected. Almost 2,500 rapists and paedophiles are to be freed early from jail in September as part of Labour's plans to tackle the prison overcrowding crisis.
The Government insists it has little choice. England and Wales' prisons are bursting at the seams. In 2024/25, almost three-quarters of prisons (72%) in England and Wales were overcrowded, a nine percentage point increase on the previous year. MPs warned last year that failed efforts to increase prison capacity had resulted in endemic overcrowding amid safety risks, increasing violence and hampered rehabilitation efforts.
Pressure for rethink
New Justice Secretary Alex Norris has already come under pressure to rethink the policy, while Downing Street has stopped short of fully backing the release of rapists and child groomers. Asked whether the Government could exempt the worst offenders, the Prime Minister's spokesman insisted ministers were focused on keeping the public safe. That leaves the door open for a rethink.
