What is Burnham doing to the early prison release scheme and why?

Offences including manslaughter have been excluded from changes to sentencing rules amid an overcrowding crisis Grooming gang perpetrators and killers, including those responsible for PC Andrew Harper’s death, will be blocked from early prison release under changes announced by Andy Burnham after a backlash over the scope of the scheme. Here is a primer on how the crisis unfolded and what the upshot of Burnham’s decision could be. From 1 October 2026, a change to sentencing rules means some adults serving a standard prison sentence in England and Wales will be released earlier than the date originally planned, the Institute for Government explains. “Prisoners convicted of less serious offences, who currently spend 40% or 50% of their sentence in prison, will leave prison after a third of their sentence. A second group, currently released after two-thirds of their sentence, will leave after half,” the IfG says. “Leaving prison does not end the sentence. The person serves the rest of their sentence in the community on licence, under conditions set by probation, and can be returned to prison if those conditions are breached.” Murderers or people handed life or extended sentences have