Andy Burnham has blocked an early release scheme for 6,000 prisoners.
which was due to start in September, after an outcry from crime victims.
The prime minister said an “immediate review” was aimed at “minimising the risk to the public” amid fears that murderers, rapists and sex offenders would be left on the tags.
Probation officers have warned that a “sense of chaos” has spread across the prison service, with staff unable to prepare for mass releases.
The mother of police officer Andrew Harper said Thursday that the proposed early release of her son’s killers was “another disappointment” for her family.
In a statement, Burnham said: “I have been working closely with the new justice secretary and have directed my team to hold off on the changes that were scheduled to begin in September.
“Under this policy no inmate will be released until we have made an immediate assessment and done everything possible to minimise the risk to the public.
Under the early release proposals, murderers, rapists and sex offenders would be released early into the community and monitored with tags.
NAPO national officer Tanya Bassett told the Guardian that the union had asked prison managers whether all preparations for early release in England and Wales should continue but had received no response.
He said, “The Prime Minister’s statement that he will review early release plans for September has created a sense of chaos within Her Majesty’s prison and probation service.
“Napo has asked HMPPS what the plan is and, so far, they don’t know. This is distressing for our members who are currently working hard on pre-release work for people coming in September. It was already an incredibly short time to meet the implementation date.
“This review could potentially reduce the timeframe further, which could put further pressure on our already overworked members. We request clarification from the Prime Minister as soon as possible.”
Preparations for release require extensive work by probation staff that typically takes at least six to eight weeks, according to the union. Jesse Cole (left) and Albert Bowers, two of the killers of police officer Andrew Harper, may be eligible for early parole. Photo: Thames Valley Police/PA
This includes conducting risk assessments, making referrals for housing, conducting home visits, coordinating with victim liaison officers and domestic abuse support officers and developing multi-agency protection plans.
It may take several weeks to ensure that tagging measures are in place before the offender is placed in residence. Until probation staff get “easy, concrete direction” on who will be considered, the established release plans could end, a union official said.
The review has caused chaos at the prisons, where managers have been responsible for calculating release dates for several weeks since Sept. 2.
The Sentencing Act 2026 introduces an “earned progression model” that replaces automatic halfway release for prisoners serving standard fixed sentences in England and Wales with a tiered, behaviour-based system.
It would allow most inmates to be released after serving a third of their sentence behind bars instead of 50%, with the remainder of the sentence being spent under strict supervision in the community with the help of electronic tagging.
Prisoners serving time for sexual or violent offences where the automatic release phase is set at two-thirds will be eligible for release at the halfway point, provided they have not committed serious violations of prison rules.
This applies to two of Harper’s killers, Albert Bowers and Jesse Cole, who were sentenced in 2020 to 13 years in prison for manslaughter. Burnham confirmed that Henry Long, the main culprit, “shall not be subject to any early release” under the scheme.
Burnham has been urged to end early release for all serious felons.
Mark Fairhurst, national head of the POA union for prison officers, said: “He needs to seriously revise the policy to allow for exemptions that allow him to keep serious offenders behind bars, including violent offenders, sex offenders and those convicted of domestic abuse so that victims can at least have a sense of justice.
We can free up capacity by releasing people guilty of less serious crimes who can be supervised in the community. But this prime minister must try to win public support.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Burnham wanted to see the early release policy implemented. Asked if that meant it might not happen, he replied: “That’s something he and the justice secretary will sort out in the coming weeks.”
