Prison leavers who are recalled to jail for breaching their licences are to be re-released earlier, in a new Government drive to free up prison spaces. 

The move, announced by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood on 14^th May, affects prisoners serving sentences of between one and four years, who are freed but then recalled. Instead of the Parole Board deciding whether they can safely be re-released, they will now automatically be let out again after 28 days of imprisonment.

The Government said the rule-change – expected to take effect within weeks – would reduce the prison population in England and Wales by around 1,400 and that without this initiative, men’s jails were on course to run out of places by November 2025. 

The number of people held in prison on recall has doubled in the past seven years to more than 13,000, accounting for 15% of the current prison population. 

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