Andy Burnham has said he will review an early prisoner release policy, due to come into force this autumn, following anger that two killers of PC Andrew Harper could be freed early.
From September, thousands of offenders in England and Wales will be eligible to be released earlier under the Sentencing Act. Tens of thousands of inmates have been let out of prison to create more space in jails since 2024.
Burnham said: “I can’t say that I can change the policy completely, but I will look at it in detail before we go further forward.”
He acknowledged that there was “pressure on prisons places” and that a failure to invest in the prison system in the past had created “an unacceptable situation”.
His comments come after the mother of police officer Andrew Harper said the potential early release of two of her son’s killers felt like an “insult”.
Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were sentenced to 13 years in custody for manslaughter but could be released early under the new Sentencing Act.
PC Harper was killed after he was dragged to his death behind their getaway car. The car’s driver, Henry Long, was jailed for 16 years for manslaughter but would not be eligible for early release.
The overcrowding of the prison estate has been a problem for several years and successive governments have released prisoners early in a bid to free up space.
The Sentencing Act, which was passed by Sir Keir Starmer’s government earlier this year, was designed to ease pressure on prisons, and will see some offenders spend less time in prison before release.
Burnham said: “I want to assure myself that everything has been looked at before this policy proceeds, and I can give that assurance that every single part of this I will look into with the justice secretary.”
Concerning the case of PC Harper, he said: “I feel for the family it’s an appalling crime that was committed.”
He said the “main perpetrator” of his death would not be eligible for early release.
The prison population in England and Wales has risen steeply since the mid-1990s, doubling in size between 1992 and 2012.
Shortly after coming into power, the Labour government, faced with warnings that prisons would run out of space within days, released thousands of inmates.
The Sentencing Act reduces the point of release meaning some prisoners could be let out after serving a third of their sentence, while those who would previously have served two-thirds will instead be released after serving half of their sentence.
The legislation also says courts should stop handing out short prison sentences of under a year, other than in specific or exceptional circumstances.
Katie Kempen, chief executive at Victim Support, said: “It’s encouraging to hear the new PM will be looking again at the early release policy.
“This review must urgently fix the fact that most victims currently have no way of knowing whether or not an offender could be released early.”
Conservative shadow justice minister Nick Timothy said: “Labour’s early release scheme has been catastrophic. Victims should not have to live in fear all summer waiting for a review.
“It would be shameful if the killers of PC Andrew Harper, grooming gang perpetrators and rapists were to get out of prison early, but this is what Labour had planned.”
Source: BBC
