The British government has freed thousands of prisoners in London ahead of schedule as part of an emergency scheme to tackle a critical overcrowding crisis in the nation's jails, according to newly released Ministry of Justice statistics.
Scale of the Early Release Scheme
The initiative, launched as an emergency measure on 10 September 2024, was triggered just days after the prison population in England and Wales reached a record high of 88,521 inmates. Under the scheme, eligible offenders serving fixed-term sentences can be released after serving only 40% of their sentence, a significant reduction from the standard 50%.
As of the end of June 2025, the figures show that a total of 38,042 inmates across England and Wales had been freed under this programme. In London, HMP Brixton recorded the highest number of early releases, with 745 prisoners let out early. Nationally, HMP Humber, located near Hull, had the highest figure at 1,126 early releases.
Government Justification and Public Safety Concerns
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman defended the policy, stating the government took "decisive action to stop our prisons from collapsing" after inheriting a system "in crisis." She emphasised that "public protection is our number one priority," noting that offenders on licence face strict conditions like exclusion zones and electronic tagging, and can be recalled to prison for any breaches.
This new scheme replaced a separate process run by the previous Conservative government, which saw 13,325 prisoners in England and Wales freed early between 17 October 2023 and 9 September 2024.
Systemic Challenges and Future Legislation
The data also highlights growing challenges within the system. There were 11,041 recalls to custody between April and June 2025 for offenders who breached their release conditions. This marks a 13% increase from the same period in 2024 and a startling 62% jump from 2023. The MoJ acknowledged that these "historically high" recall levels are likely linked to the early release scheme.
These figures emerge amidst recent high-profile errors, such as the accidental release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu from prison. Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor commented that such mistakes are symptomatic of chaos within the system, with constant changes, including different rules for early releases, "making life difficult for prisons."
In a bid to create a long-term solution, the government introduced the Sentencing Bill in Parliament in September. The then-justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, stated the criminal justice system was "on the verge of collapse" and vowed the legislation would ensure prisons "never run out of space again."
