- Around 650 prisoners are set to be released on Tuesday as part of the third tranche of the government's early release scheme to address severe prison overcrowding.
- Approximately 5,000 inmates will be discharged over the coming year after rules were changed to allow eligible fixed-term offenders to serve a third of their sentence in custody instead of half.
- High-profile and serious offenders, including rapists, serious child sex offenders, murderers, terrorists and those convicted of manslaughter, are explicitly excluded from the policy.
- Some of the most serious offenders are expected to be fitted with GPS tags by contractor Serco and subjected to stricter post-release supervision.
- Opposition figures from the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK have criticised the scheme, raising concerns over prison capacity limits and public safety.
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