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Written question asked by Baroness Sugg (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 5 August 2026. It was answered by Lord Lemos (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 August 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Prisoners' Release

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to public safety arising from the early release of prisoners, including registered sex offenders, under the current early release scheme.

Answer

This Government inherited prisons days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Without the changes this Government made, courts would have had to halt trials and the police cancel arrests, undermining public safety.

Whilst measures like the SDS40 change provided the intended medium-term relief to the system, this was only ever a temporary change as a bridge to a more sustainable solution. That is why the Sentencing Act has been passed, to deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited.

Following a review, the Prime Minister and Lord Chanceller have decided that rape and certain child sex offences will be excluded from the progression model and these sentences will retain their current release points. This is in addition to the 18,000 offenders who are already ineligible for earlier release under the model given they have either been found by a court to be the most dangerous or are serving a life sentence.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL2601
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Prisoners' release Safety
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk