SOFT JUSTICE CRIMEWAVE: Thousands of crooks will avoid jail or be released early under Labour prison plan that police chiefs say will see crime rates rocket

THOUSANDS of suspects and criminals who would have been remanded or jailed will instead be "free in the community" after a new "Sentencing Bill" comes into effect next year, a police chief said.

More prisoners will also be released early under the changes to free up prison spaces due to our bursting prison population.

There will be an expected rise in reoffending rates by four to six percent, police chiefs estimate, that is around 360,000 more crimes a year on top of the 6.6 million offences recorded nationwide in the 12 months to June 2025.

Latest figures released by the Ministry of Justice on November 3 showed there was a total prison population of 86,888 out of a maximum capacity of 89,291.

At a press briefing yesterday, Gavin Stephens, the Chair of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) said: "It’s no secret that the criminal justice system is not working as it should.

"The pressure on police, courts, prisons and probation cannot continue – which is why we support the Government’s ambition to overhaul sentencing and relieve the prison crowding crisis.

"The Sentencing Bill will significantly change the course of ‘traditional’ criminal justice in our society. But it also gives us an opportunity to rethink how we approach crime and justice, with a welcomed focus on rehabilitation and addressing the core drivers of crime.

"The changes posed will see thousands of offenders who would have been remanded or given custodial sentences being managed in the community, as well as an increase in offenders being released from prison early under supervision or on license."

The bill was introduced in Parliament in September and the law is expected to come into effect early in 2026.

Neighbourhood police officers will have to support enforcing breaches of court and community orders, as well as any rise in crime from re-offending.

Mr Stephens added: "Which we anticipate to be between four to six percent in the year after the bill is implemented, but this estimate could change depending on how the bill progresses.

"We need creative solutions that are punishment enough to fit the crime and deliver justice, but also act as a deterrent and means of rehabilitation.

"There absolutely is a place for some people in prison, but there are others that desperately seek the opportunity for help through rehabilitation and prison is not the right place for them. That is why we support the ambition of the Sentencing Bill.

"Out of prison should not mean out of control. If we are going to have fewer people in prison, we need to ensure that we collectively have the officers, staff, technology, and powers to manage offenders in the community."

He said it was crucial that violence against women and girls and domestic abuse-related orders remain exempt from the proposed changes to under-12-month custodial sentences, to ensure continued protection and justice for victims.

He added: "Policing has always, and will always, play its part in supporting the wider criminal justice system to manage offenders in communities and reduce re-offending. The safety of the public and our workforce is our first priority.

"However, the extra demand on both policing resources and finances poses significant challenges, particularly against a backdrop of chronic underfunding, shifting and escalating nature of crime, and commitment to support the Government’s Safer Streets Missions and Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

"Adequate funding for policing and probation to support these measures must be reflected. Significant change cannot be made without significant investment in the right areas."

UK News and Investigations Opinion

This sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. We know that the probation Service is badly underresourced and prone to repeated failings. the extra burden of monitoring this will bring is bound to lead to violent offenders being released and wrongluy assesssed who will go on to rape and kill.