Labour's early prison release scheme has come under fire after official figures showed reoffending has reached its highest level on record, with critics warning the policy has poured thousands of repeat offenders back onto Britain's streets. New data from the Ministry of Justice shows that 31.9% of convicted adult offenders released from 2024 onwards went on to commit further crimes, up from 29.2% the previous year. Around 25,000 offenders reoffended, committing more than 127,000 additional offences.
The figures come after Prime Minister Andy Burnham was forced to pause the latest phase of Labour's highly controversial early release program, introduced by ex-PM Sir Keir Starmer, following backlash from the wife of PC Andrew Harper, whose killers were tipped for early release. Since the scheme began in September 2024, almost 70,000 prisoners have been released early, with offenders eligible to leave prison after serving just 40% of their sentence rather than half.
The policy was introduced to ease severe overcrowding after England and Wales' prison system came close to running out of space. But despite releasing tens of thousands of inmates, capacity pressures have persisted, prompting ministers to consider further early releases before Burnham halted the latest tranche pending a review. Shadow Justice Minister Kieran Mullan accused Labour of being "extremely dishonest," warning the government was prepared to release serious offenders, including killers and rapists, before they had completed their sentences.
"It's quite clear that the Prime Minister sees that this is a problem, but I don't think he knows what to do about it," Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch added. The Ministry of Justice defended the government's approach, arguing that it has delivered 3,200 new prison places and invested £700 million into probation services.
Badenoch has urged Burnham to recall Parliament, warning that without fast-tracked legislation, further prisoners could be released almost immediately after MPs return from their summer recess.
