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Nearly 40,000 convicted criminals have been let out of prison under Labour's early release scheme, figures show. A staggering 38,042 were released between September 2024 and June 2025 to prevent a repeat of the prison overcrowding crisis.

This included 4,358 in June, the second-highest monthly total since October 2024, when ministers feared a collapse in law and order, with prisons unable to take in new convicts. A record number of offenders - 1,850 - were ordered to serve part of their sentences at home in June, Ministry of Justice figures show. In total, 10,835 have been allowed to finish their sentences in the comforts of their own home under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme.

An additional 25,000 have been let out with "conditional releases".

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "Under this Government, crime pays. Already 38,000 offenders have been released early - and soon tens of thousands will avoid prison altogether.

"Criminals will be licking their lips, free to offend and wreck our communities all over again."

The scheme was launched as an emergency measure on September 10 last year, just days after the prison population reached a record high of 88,521.

It allows eligible prisoners to be released after serving only 40% of their fixed-term sentence, rather than the usual 50%.

Officials warned in May that male prisons were on track to hit zero capacity by November this year.

Some 10,879 of the 38,042 early releases (28.6%) were serving sentences of six months or under, with a further 5,241 (13.8%) serving sentences of between six and 12 months.

Under seperate Labour plans to release the prison capacity, killers and rapists will be let out early, while 43,000 criminals will avoid jail altogether.

Most convicts will be tagged and electronically monitored as ministers try to avoid a repeat of the prison overcrowding crisis.

The majority of criminals will be let out after just a third of their sentence.

They will spend another third under house arrest and will only then be put on licence and let into the community.

Criminals sentenced to more than four years behind bars will be let out after serving just half of their jail term, while punishments of less than 12 months will be abolished in most cases.

Only the most extreme offenders will be refused the right to leave prison at the halfway point

Criminals will, for the first time, be tagged before they leave prison in a bid to prevent them wreaking havoc in communities.