Overview
- On Sunday, reports said Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering legal options to block the early release of Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers after they became eligible under the Sentencing Act 2026.
- The Sentencing Act, enacted earlier this year, shortens custodial eligibility for many determinate sentences and is due to begin phased releases in October after ministers paused parts of the rollout and announced targeted exemptions.
- Conservative analysis using Ministry of Justice data estimated about 89,225 additional offences by mid‑2029 if the scheme proceeds, a projection the MoJ called speculative while stressing that wider exemptions could push prisons to full capacity.
- Public pressure has surged with an online petition nearing 850,000 signatures and strong condemnation from Thames Valley Police and PC Harper’s family, who say the potential early releases insult the officer’s memory.
- Ministers point to roughly 5,000 prisoners affected under the revised plans and a £700 million boost for probation and community supervision as mitigation, but critics say faster prison building, deportation of foreign offenders and other capacity measures have not been pursued enough.