Hundreds more prisoners to be freed as stage two of early release scheme begins

Prisoners rejoiced as they left jail early during the second stage of a government scheme to ease overcrowding that will see hundreds released.

Around 650 prisoners serving sentences between one-and-a-half and two-and-a-half years are expected to be released on Tuesday.

It's the second set of releases under changes brought in by the Sentencing Act, which will see around 5,000 prisoners scheduled to leave prison in batches over the next year, before their custodial sentences were due to end.

This figure is down from 6,000, after ministers intervened to exempt rapists and the most serious child sex offenders from the scheme.

Ministers said the expanded early release is needed to stop the justice system collapsing.

Those guilty of manslaughter will also be excluded, meaning the killers of PC Andrew Harper, who died in the line of duty in 2019, will not be eligible.

At HMP Durham on Tuesday, one man punched the air in celebration and shouted: "Yes cuzzie."

Asked what he thought of the early release scheme, he replied: "F****** belta."

When asked if he had a message for the prime minister, another inmate replied: "Scrap the recalls."

The released prisoner explained that although he was from Sunderland, he was being sent to Bristol - where he was arrested - and had to travel there immediately or risk being recalled to prison.

Asked what the conditions were like inside HMP Durham, he said: "Awful. It's obviously crowded, they just have to get so many people out."

Another man, released with an electronic tag and a second device which monitors his alcohol consumption, said HMP Durham was a tough, Victorian jail, with poor food, with some inmates using the drug Spice.

Tuesday's release follows around 700 offenders being freed on 1 October.

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Sex offenders' early release blocked
Changes to early release scheme

In a bid to relieve pressure on the almost-full prison estate, the Sentencing Act sees prisoners on fixed-term (standard determinate) sentences serving a third of their time in jail, down from half.

However, those convicted of more serious offences will be released after serving half behind bars, down from two-thirds.

Released inmates are on licence and still serving their sentences in the community and can be returned to jail if they breach their supervision conditions.

(c) Sky News 2026: Hundreds more prisoners to be freed as stage two of early release scheme begins