Majority of dangerous criminals to be freed in weeks WITHOUT electronic tags in early release scheme

THE majority of prisoners freed under the early release scheme will surge back into communities without electronic tags from next weekend. The first 1,350 crooks will be released over the space of two weeks, commencing October 1, 2026. Not all criminals will need ankle monitors Credit: Getty Convicts will begin to be released from next weekend Credit: Getty Crooks with sentences that demand ankle tags will now go without until after release due to the Probation Service’s incapability to fit them all. Previously, Burnham announced electronic tagging to be the cornerstone of the operation’s success. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Domestic abusers are among 2,500 offenders who will be freed before Christmas this year, due to Burnham’s scheme to free up prison space. The National Audit Office (NAO) revealed that the ankle monitor system was not working, and putting the public at risk. It found 9,000 offenders in England and Wales, including violent offenders and prisoners released from jail, had not been fitted with one. Tagging before release is prioritised for the most dangerous offenders – but doesn’t ensure that all violent criminals would be strapped with one before leaving. Curfew tags, location tags, and alcohol tags, are all expected to be used. Violent and sexual offenders will be confined to monitor tag “restriction zones”. Most read in The Sun Victims of the crimes will also be granted an opinion on the mapping of these restricted zones. Jails across England and Wales are currently running at 97% capacity with just 1,500 available spaces, according to MoJ data. Secro, the security contractor that manages the tagging system, met its targets for tag-fitting visits – yet only 62 per cent of criminals needing tagging were actually fitted. Police chiefs have also warned the government that there will likely be a strain on police officers monitoring released prisoners. There are fears the attention will distract them away from other crimes on UK streets. Shadow Justice Secretary, Nick Timothy, said the government had “systematically misled the public” over the safety of early release. He said: “We were told that security measures would be in place so dangerous offenders would be properly tagged. Now it’s been revealed that isn’t true. “In fact, most prisoners won’t be properly tagged before their release. “Double the originally intended number of prisoners will now be let out in October, and it’s clear the Probation Service will not be able to cope with the numbers. “The public have been told they will not be put in danger by the early release of prisoners, and that proper tagging would be in place before the first releases. Now it turns out that was a lie.” Andy Burnham inherited the early release scheme from Sir Keir Starmer – tweaking the programme so those convicted of unlawful killing, sexual offences, and offences against children were kept behind bars. The Ministry of Justice said: “Public protection is our priority and we’re imposing the toughest-ever controls on offenders. We’re investing £100 million in the biggest expansion of tagging in British history, introducing a presumption to tag offenders before release for the first time, and strengthening victim protections through new alert systems. “This is part of our record £700 million investment in probation and community services, recruiting 2,300 trainee officers over the last two years and a further 1,300 this year, and ensuring dangerous offenders are kept under closer surveillance than ever before.”