Hundreds More Offenders Blocked From Early Release as PM Extends Sentencing Act Exclusions

The Prime Minister has added manslaughter, death by dangerous or drunk driving, and historic child sex and grooming offences to the list of crimes excluded from the Sentencing Act's new early release framework. The announcement, made on 30 August 2026, means hundreds more victims will not face the prospect of an offender being released earlier than their original sentence suggested. It extends protections first confirmed on 4 August, when rape, serious child sex offences, and grooming gang crimes were blocked from the Sentencing Act's Progression Model.

Those convicted of killing an emergency worker in the line of duty are also now excluded, a point Andy Burnham made directly in reference to the family of PC Andrew Harper, the Thames Valley Police officer killed in 2019. The Prime Minister said he had pushed the system to what he described as its absolute limits, warning that going further without first building enough prison places would cause courts to stop imprisoning people and leave dangerous offenders unchecked.

Which offences are now excluded from the Sentencing Act's early release changes

The Sentencing Act's Progression Model changes when standard determinate sentence prisoners become eligible for release. For most offenders, the earliest release point moves from half their sentence to one third. Those currently released at two thirds will have that point moved to one half. The changes do not affect people on life sentences or extended determinate sentences, who already fall outside automatic release and must go before the Parole Board regardless.

The exclusions announced on 30 August cover all forms of manslaughter including unlawful act manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, and manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. Death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs are also excluded. Offenders who killed an emergency worker in the course of their duty will see no change to their earliest release point under the Act, a provision the government specifically cited in connection with the killers of PC Andrew Harper.

Causing or allowing the death or serious harm of a child is included in the new exclusions, as are historic child sex offences and historic grooming offences committed before current statutory definitions came into force. Those categories add to the protections already confirmed on 4 August for rape, current era serious child sex offences, and grooming gang crimes.

Restriction zones, tagging and new post release controls

Beyond the exclusions themselves, the 30 August announcement introduces post release controls the government describes as the toughest ever imposed on offenders leaving prison. Central to these is the restriction zone, a mechanism ministers describe as a world first. Courts will be able to confine certain sexual and violent offenders to a defined geographical area after their release, with some zones covering just a few miles. Victims will have a direct role in shaping how zone boundaries are drawn.

A presumption that all prison leavers will be electronically tagged on release is now confirmed, backed by £100 million of existing investment. Courts will gain new powers to impose banning orders preventing offenders from entering pubs, attending public events such as football matches, or engaging in other specified activities. Probation staff will have near real time access to monitoring data throughout the licence period.

IPP sentences and foreign national deportation

The Prime Minister also announced on 30 August that Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences will be ended within this Parliament. IPP was abolished as a sentencing option in 2012, but many people remain in custody having long since served the minimum custodial term their sentence set. Some have been imprisoned for nearly two decades past that point. Burnham acknowledged the injustice directly, noting that these individuals have served their minimum terms many times over while serious criminals convicted in recent years could potentially see their sentences shortened under the new framework. Reform will begin immediately and proceed on a cross party basis, though the government acknowledged that getting it right and balancing public safety will take time.

Separately, legislation is expected from early 2027 that will allow some foreign nationals convicted of criminal offences to be deported immediately after sentencing, with a permanent bar on returning to the country. Those convicted of the most serious offences will remain in prison for a substantial period before removal takes place.

Why the government says it cannot go further

All of these decisions sit against the backdrop of a prison system the government describes as at 98% capacity. When it took office in the summer of 2024 there were fewer than 100 spaces left across the adult male estate. More than 3,200 places have been built since, with 14,000 expected by 2031, the largest prison building programme since the Victorian era, according to ministers.

Andy Burnham was explicit that the exclusion list represents the furthest the system can currently absorb. He and Justice Secretary Alex Norris both said that blocking further categories without the prison places to absorb the consequences would cause the justice system to stop functioning, courts unable to imprison people, police unable to make arrests, and dangerous offenders left unchecked on the streets. The Sentencing Act, with its confirmed exclusions and new community supervision package, is the government's current answer to those competing pressures.