Thank you for contacting me about the Government’s early release scheme.
I remain deeply concerned by the Government’s decision to reduce the portion of certain custodial sentences from 50 per cent to 40 per cent and to do so for a large number of offenders. Official figures show 38,042 criminals were freed under the 'SDS40' scheme between September 2024 and June 2025.
While I welcome that criminals sentenced for serious violent offences of four years or more and those sentenced for sex offences will be automatically excluded from having their time in prison reduced, I am concerned that the Government’s list of exclusions does not go far enough. Dangerous criminals sentenced for less than four years for offences, such as causing grievous bodily harm, will still be eligible to have their prison time reduced. While these offences carry a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, most often a term will be awarded that is less than this and criminals with a history of violence can still be released from prison early.
Further, the Government’s Sentencing Act brings about the biggest reduction in prison sentences in British history. While the British public and my constituents want dangerous criminals locked up for longer, the Government’s package of radical reforms will scrap short sentences and see up to 43,000 criminals avoid prison altogether, as well as releasing killers and rapists early. That means that more than half of all offenders who currently go to jail – will, from now on, be out on our streets.
There are alternatives: a third of prison cells are occupied by either foreign national offenders or individuals on remand. The Government should take all steps necessary to keep criminals off the street and increase prison capacity.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
