Prisons watchdog to keep close eye on criminals released early - amid concerns rapists could be among them

The prisons watchdog has said it will keep a close eye on criminals released early from jail under a government scheme, amid concerns that rapists could be among them.

From September, part of the Sentencing Act 2026 will come into force, enabling some offenders to be freed earlier in a bid to reduce overcrowding.

Killers, rapists and sex offenders could be among up to 6,000 criminals released early in a few months' time, reports have suggested.

Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, said the extra capacity could help governors focus more on rehabilitation, but warned institutions were still failing to provide the education, training and risk-reduction programmes needed to support their release.

"This is an area we've been worried about for many years," he said.

"A lot of prisoners are going to be going out from jails in September, October, November, and we will watch very closely what the effect of that is in terms of reoffending rates and risk to the public."

Prisoners locked up for some violent or sexual offences will become eligible for release halfway through their sentences under the changes, rather than serving the current tariff of two-thirds.

Burglars and thieves are among the prisoners who will be considered for release a third of the way through their sentences, down from the current 40%.

The first 700 offenders are to be released in September, the Telegraph has reported.

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Victims have started to receive letters from the government telling them their abusers or attackers are set to be freed under the scheme.

Former Home Office minister Jess Phillips said last week "there should be more exemptions within the release scheme", including to keep adults who rape children in jail for longer.

Meanwhile, The Sunday Times reported that Andy Burnham, widely expected to be the next prime minister, is looking at ways to tighten the early prison release scheme to stop child sex offenders walking free.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This government is fixing the prison crisis it inherited - building 14,000 more prison places and reforming sentencing so we can always lock up dangerous criminals.

"Without this decisive action, prisons will run out of space entirely as early as November and we will be unable to lock up serious offenders at all."

A spokesperson for Mr Burnham has been contacted.

(c) Sky News 2026: Prisons watchdog to keep close eye on criminals released early - amid concerns rapist