Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the process for supervising serious, serial violent offenders when they are released after having served their term.

This Government inherited a prisons system days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, including through the progression model, which will help ensure there are always enough prison places for the courts to be able to send people to custody.

The Prime Minister’s review informed decisions relating to implementation of the progression model and subsequent offence exclusions. The Government carefully considered concerns raised by victims, survivors, parliamentarians and the wider public and acted on those concerns and representations received during the review formed part of the evidence considered as part of that process. Ministers continue to engage with a range of stakeholders on implementation.

As a result, offenders convicted of unlawful killing offence such as manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving, as well as further historic child sex offences, will now be excluded, on top of rape and serious child sex offences. This also includes offenders convicted of offences involving the killing of an emergency worker. A full list of exclusions can be found here: Sentencing Act 2026 offence exclusions - GOV.UK. These exclusions are in addition to the existing exclusion of more than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences.

The progression model amends release points for offenders serving Standard Determinate Sentences. The date from which the progression model will apply, and the date of the first tranche of releases is 1 October 2026. Offenders released under the progression model will be controlled under strict licence conditions and can be recalled to custody where they breach those conditions or their risk can no longer be safely managed in the community.

This Government is committed to strengthening public protection and ensuring the Probation Service has the tools and capacity it needs to keep communities safe and protect victims. We are investing £700 million into probation and community services, recruiting 1,300 additional probation officers this year, and ensuring every prison leaver is tagged unless there is clear reason not to. As part of that investment, we are delivering the biggest expansion of tagging in history, by investing £100 million to expand our ability to monitor even more individuals in the community with thousands of offenders having their every movement tracked. These changes will significantly strengthen probation’s ability to monitor offenders in real time and intervene quickly where risk escalates or conditions are breached.

Offenders may also be subject to a range of measures such as curfews and exclusion zones that are designed to manage risk and restrict their movements where necessary. With the conditions imposed upon them, this will allow probation to maintain oversight of offenders in the community and monitor compliance.

The Government is ensuring probation resources are focused on offenders who pose the highest risk of harm and prioritised on those most likely to reoffend. This enables probation practitioners to spend more time and attention managing the most serious offenders, strengthening public protection and better protecting victims.

All offenders released from custody are subject to robust supervision and risk management arrangements. Where released on licence, they may be subject to a range of restrictive licence conditions tailored to the risks they present, including electronic monitoring, exclusion zones and non-contact requirements. Probation practitioners monitor compliance with these requirements and may take enforcement action, including recall to custody, where an offender can no longer be safely managed in the community. Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) provide additional oversight for those offenders who meet the relevant threshold.

From October 2026, the Probation Service will be given wider powers to impose new restrictive licence conditions, including prohibiting offenders on licence from driving, attending public events, and entering pubs, clubs and bars. We are also introducing Restriction Zones for the most serious sexual and violent offenders, which require an offender to remain within a designated area where this is necessary and proportionate to manage risk.

The Government is also committed to ensuring that victims' interests are reflected in release and supervision arrangements. Victims eligible for the Victim Contact Scheme have a statutory right to receive information about an offender's release and to make representations about licence conditions. When determining appropriate licence conditions, account may be taken of both the risk of physical harm and the risk of significant emotional or psychological harm to victims.

Together, these measures will strengthen public protection, support victim safety and ensure that the most serious offenders receive the highest levels of supervision and risk management in the community.