Overview

• Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has confirmed early release for some violent and sexual offenders as part of measures to ease record overcrowding in England and Wales prisons.
• Leaders from the Metropolitan Police, MI5 and National Crime Agency have written to the Ministry of Justice warning that releasing inmates after serving a third of their sentence could undermine public safety without additional policing and probation resources.
• Six senior police chiefs caution that forces face a £1.3 billion funding gap and remain burdened by years of austerity, threatening their ability to meet rising demand and deliver on crime reduction pledges.
• The government's sentencing reforms will eliminate custodial terms under 12 months, mandating community sentences and increasing probation funding by up to £700 million to expand electronic tagging.
• Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s June 11 spending review will decide whether the proposed funding boosts reach police and probation services to manage increased supervision demands and reoffending risks.