The UK government has announced that offenders convicted of manslaughter, death by dangerous driving and certain child sex offences will be excluded from upcoming sentencing reforms, ensuring they serve longer prison terms.
In a statement released on Monday, the Prime Minister’s Office said the changes will also apply to offenders convicted of killing emergency workers in the line of duty and those responsible for causing or allowing the death of a child.
The decision expands an earlier policy that already excluded prisoners convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming offences from benefiting from reduced prison terms under the planned reforms.
The government said murderers and offenders serving life or extended sentences for the most serious crimes will continue to be excluded from any sentence reductions and will remain in custody until considered for release by the Parole Board.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government had widened the list of offenders who would not qualify for the sentencing changes in response to public concerns.
“We moved quickly to block vile criminals who commit rape, sexually abuse children and groom vulnerable young people. We will now also keep offenders serving sentences for manslaughter and death by dangerous driving behind bars for longer,” Starmer said.
He added that while he wanted to go further, the government had reached the limit of what was possible without worsening pressure on the prison system.
The reforms also introduce stricter supervision for some offenders after their release, including electronic tagging and geographical restriction zones that can prevent offenders from approaching victims or entering specific locations.
The government also confirmed plans to abolish Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences during the current Parliament, saying it would address cases involving prisoners still held under a sentencing regime that was abolished more than a decade ago.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the revised reforms strike a balance between protecting the public and tackling prison overcrowding, while the government also plans to introduce powers next year to deport some foreign criminals immediately after sentencing, except those convicted of the most serious offences.
