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First wave of expanded early prison release begins in England and Wales on 1 October

Several hundred prisoners are due out on 1 October as the first stage of an expanded early release scheme, with about 5,000 to go over a year. Ministers say it is needed to stop the justice system collapsing; critics cite risks to victims and gaps in monitoring.

3 outlets · 2L · 0C · 1R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 3). New coverage since the last version from GB News. Previously: “Hundreds of prisoners due for release on 1 October as expanded early release scheme begins”.

Image: Daily Mirror
Image: GB News
Image: Metro

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The story, neutrally told

Several hundred prisoners are due to be released from jail on Thursday 1 October in the first wave of the Government's expanded early release scheme. Around 5,000 prisoners are scheduled for release in stages over the next year, down from 6,000, after ministers exempted rapists and the most serious child sex offenders. The expansion rests on the 2026 Sentencing Act, which lets ministers move the release point for certain prisoners from 40% of a fixed-term sentence to a third.

Ministers say the scheme is needed to prevent the justice system from collapsing; the prison population of England and Wales was 87,499 on Monday, up 1,738 (2%) from 85,761 on 29 June, according to Ministry of Justice data. Members of child grooming gangs convicted of indecent assault and anyone guilty of manslaughter are excluded, so the killers of Pc Andrew Harper will not be eligible. Justice Secretary Alex Norris has apologised to victims who faced a summer of uncertainty after the initial plans drew backlash.

GB News reports that most of those freed will leave prison without an ankle tag because the Probation Service did not have enough monitoring devices. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy called the releases "an insult to victims" and a danger to the public, while Victims' Commissioner Claire Waxman said government confidence was "not yet matched by the reality on the ground". Mr Norris said the plan brings the "toughest-ever" controls on prison leavers and includes building 14,000 prison places.

An earlier scheme launched in September 2024 released 70,066 prisoners to the end of March 2026 and produced images of celebrating prisoners that caused public anger; a Conservative-era process freed 13,325 between October 2023 and September 2024.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left2 outlets

Framing
Near-identical explainers built around the first release wave, prison population figures, exclusions after backlash and the history of earlier releases.
Emphasis
Overcrowding figures, concessions after the Pc Andrew Harper backlash, and past public anger at celebrating released prisoners.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither quotes opposition parties, the Victims' Commissioner, probation unions or police, and neither mentions the shortage of electronic tags.
Charged language
“controversial”
For example
“the first wave of the Government’s controversial expanded early release scheme” — Metro
“The early release scheme is needed to prevent the justice system from collapsing” — Daily Mirror

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right1 outlet

Framing
Leads on criminals 'flooding' streets under Labour's scheme, with opposition criticism and doubts about monitoring.
Emphasis
Missing ankle tags, Nick Timothy's attack, the Victims' Commissioner and probation union warnings, and the 2024 'big up Keir Starmer' images.
Leaves out or plays down
Gives less on the prison population rise and does not mention the 13,325 Conservative-era early releases.
Charged language
“flood Britain's streets”“much-maligned”
For example
“Hundreds of criminals will flood Britain's streets from today” — GB News
“Labour's much-maligned early release scheme” — GB News