Early release criminals will be banned from football and concerts, as minister defends letting killers go free
Alex Davies-Jones said the Government will be restricting the capabilities of the released offenders to do the things that people enjoy in life.
Prisoners released under the Government's early release scheme will not be able to go to football matches or concerts, the Victims Minister has said, as she insisted their punishment is not ending.
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Alex Davies-Jones said the Government's decision to release around 5,000 prisoners early as part of a scheme to tackle overcrowding in jails is one "nobody wanted to make".
The decision has received widespread backlash, especially from the families of victims.
Ms Davies-Jones told LBC's Tom Swarbrick at Drive that even though offenders are being released from their prison sentences, "the punishment will continue".
She said that nearly all released offenders will be tagged with GPS tracking.
"Everyone who is deemed to be a high risk, or if victims have specific concerns, then they will be subject to GPS tagging and GPS monitoring," she said.
"But that is just one measure that we're able to implement when any offenders are released from prison.
"For example, we're now introducing exclusion zones, [which have] never been done before. But as a result of what victims have told us, we have listened."
She explained the exclusion zones will be policed "through GPS monitoring, through working with our community policing partners and ensuring that liberty is curtailed for these offenders".
Ms Davies-Jones added: "When they come out of prison, that isn't it for them. The punishment will continue.
"For example, we'll also be restricting their capabilities to do the things that people enjoy in life, like going to a football game or a concert."
She also said some may have their driving licence taken off them upon release.
Ms Davies-Jones also explained that some may face other conditions, such as undertaking community service to make up for the less time served behind bars.
"So when the offenders are released early from prison, if they are eligible and if they meet the certain criteria, then they will be subject to other conditions such as unpaid work, for example," she said.
The scheme, introduced by this year’s Sentencing Act, is part of a drive to ease prison overcrowding which ministers have warned could see the justice system collapse.
Most criminals do not spend the whole of their prison sentences behind bars, instead serving a portion of it in jail before spending the rest on licence – released, but subject to strict conditions that could see them returned to prison if breached.
Previously, offenders with standard determinate sentences – the most common type of prison sentence – were automatically released after serving 50% of the time.
In 2024, this was reduced to 40% to cope with prison overcrowding.
The Sentencing Act 2026 cut that period further for many prisoners, reducing it to a third of the sentence.
For those already in prison, the changes were due to be phased in from September, starting with inmates serving sentences of less than 575 days and increasing to those serving 12 years or more in June next year.
But Prime Minister Andy Burnham paused the plans on coming into office after a public outcry.
Campaigners had previously called for rapists and child sex offenders to be exempt, but the issue gained new prominence due to the prospect that two of Pc Andrew Harper’s killers would be released under the changes.
On Monday, the Government announced that prisoners serving sentences for rape or child sex offences would also be exempt from the changes.
And he pushed back the date when the new sentences would come into force from September to October to give the Probation Service more time to prepare.