2 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 13:17 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:55 UTC
More people were recalled to prisons in England and Wales in the year to June than were released, with 52,716 returned after breaching licence terms, a 27% rise from the previous year, according to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data. The figure coincides with the release of 79,274 prisoners under the SDS40 early release scheme, which reduced the required time served from 50% to 40% of sentences between September 2024 and June 2026.
The MoJ said policy changes, including fixed-term recalls of 56 days, likely contributed to the rise in recalls, as most offenders are now returned for set periods rather than until their sentence ends. The emergency measures were replaced by a permanent early release scheme under the Sentencing Act 2026 from 1 October.
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