Labour to Move Ahead With Controversial Early Release Scheme

Despite pushback from victims, families of victims and members of the police force, Labour’s early release scheme will be enforced this Autumn. 

The scheme does not apply to prisoners serving time for murder, rape, grooming or serious child sexual offenses. However, other prisoners could be freed after only serving half or a third of their sentence, depending on the severity of their crime, a reduction from the current system which sees prisoners earn eligibility for release after serving two thirds of their sentence. 

When Prime Minister Andy Burnham first announced this scheme, the plan was that 6,000 prisoners would be released over a 10 month period starting from this September. After public criticism, it has been amended to 5,000 prisoners being released over 10 months starting from this October. He has also announced that stronger surveillance will be implemented for rapists and child sex offenders after they have served their full sentences. 

When the scheme was first announced, there was outrage over the possibility that two of the men responsible for the death of PC Harper in 2019, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, could be among those released. The two men are currently midway through serving 13 year sentences for manslaughter after PC Harper was killed being dragged down a road by a rope attached to a car the men were in. The driver of the car, Henry Long, was found guilty of murder, and will therefore not be eligible for early release. 

PC Harper’s mother Debbie Adlam said she was "devastated" upon hearing Cole and Bowers could be released, and the chief constable of Thames Valley police has today announced he is considering joining legal action to stop the men from being let out early. 

Written by Jorja Flitcroft