Andy Burnham Officially Blocks Early Release for Rapists and Child Sex Offenders in Sentencing U-Turn

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has formally barred rapists and serious child sex offenders from early release under the Sentencing Act, in a reversal of a scheme inherited from the previous government.

From October, offenders convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming gang crimes will no longer benefit from reduced custodial terms. The move follows a rapid review Mr Burnham ordered within days of entering Downing Street, after it emerged that sex offenders could have been among those released early under the original plan.

Backlash Forces Sentencing Rethink

The inherited scheme was designed to ease overcrowding by releasing some offenders ahead of schedule. Victims' groups and campaigners reacted strongly once it became clear serious sexual offenders might qualify.

Mr Burnham and Justice Secretary Alex Norris said they had 'listened to the concerns' of victims and the public. The excluded offences will now join a list already covering more than 18,000 prisoners, including those deemed most dangerous by the courts and anyone serving a life sentence.

Those offenders remain subject to Parole Board oversight and will see no change to their release dates.

Mr Burnham said 'keeping the public safe is my top priority' and acknowledged the 'anger, anxiety and distress' caused by the original proposals. He admitted he had wanted to block early release more widely, but warned that doing so risked pushing prisons to 'capacity and collapsing'.

Adult male prisons in England and Wales are currently running at 98 per cent capacity, which the government attributes to more than a decade of underinvestment in the prison estate.

Tougher Supervision for Released Offenders

Alongside the sentencing change, Mr Burnham has ordered what he describes as the fastest prison-building programme since the Victorian era, targeting 14,000 new places by 2031. He has also asked Mr Norris to speed up removal of foreign national offenders, review Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences, and free up capacity in the women's estate.

For offenders who are released, restrictions will tighten significantly. There will be a presumption that all offenders leaving custody are electronically tagged, with longer supervision periods and stricter licence conditions, including exclusion zones around victims, schools and town centres. Probation staff will receive near real-time GPS monitoring data for the most serious cases, with alerts triggered as offenders approach exclusion zones.

Around 1,000 offenders a month will face random drug testing, and the number of regions using chemical suppression treatment for sexual offending drivers will double. Probation will also gain powers to ban offenders from driving, visiting pubs or attending mass events such as football matches.

The measures are backed by £100 million already committed to tagging and restrictions, alongside a further £700 million for probation and community punishment, including 1,300 additional probation officers.

Extra Controls for Sex Offenders

Rapists and child sex offenders who serve their full term will face 12 months of GPS monitoring, placement in the highest-risk probation tiers, and mandatory consideration for Approved Premises, the most secure form of community accommodation. Those linked to grooming gangs will undergo enhanced risk assessments and stricter multi-agency management.

Mr Norris said the government had 'gone further to protect victims,' arguing the changes would give them 'reassurance that offenders leaving prison face tougher supervision and punishment'.

A further £10 million will fund trauma-focused victim support services, with contact extended to all victims affected by the reforms and a new helpline opening by October. The wider release changes have also been delayed from September to October to allow probation services more preparation time and give victims input into licence conditions.

Under the broader 'progression model', other determinate-sentence prisoners could still see earlier release points, though ministers stress this remains conditional on good behaviour, with any serious misconduct resulting in offenders serving their full term.