Bernam announced a plan to prevent those involved in Harper's death from being released early
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that the government is preparing changes to the early release program for prisoners, which are intended to prevent the release of those involved in the death of police officer Andrew Harper. He said he is “increasingly confident” that the revised approach will keep these convicts in prison.
Burnham announced that he has instructed Justice Minister Alex Norris to expedite the preparation of a plan to be presented to Parliament early next month. The plan aims to create additional capacity within the prison system and reduce the number of people released early.
Among the options, the prime minister cited more active repatriation of foreign prisoners to their countries of origin, resolving the issue of indefinite IPP sentences for lower-risk inmates as quickly as possible, and making broader use of the entire prison system, including the use of women’s facilities to house men. Bernam also mentioned the more than 2,000 people serving IPP sentences, calling such sentences unjust.
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The prime minister said that in an ideal world, he would not want to see “a single prisoner” released early. At the same time, he emphasized that it is impossible to completely halt early releases without risking the collapse of the prison system. Burnham also stated his intention to discuss the approach with other parties to achieve a broader social and political consensus.
According to The Guardian World, Burnham’s office has been in contact with Andrew Harper’s family, and the justice minister maintains regular contact with them. Conservative Party spokesperson Nick Timothy criticized the government’s approach, calling for a clear plan to be presented and for Parliament to vote on which categories of prisoners should be excluded from the scheme.
