Dangerous criminals could still be freed under the government's early release scheme for England and Wales, Conservative politicians have warned, despite recent exclusions. Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy stated that to prevent one category of dangerous prisoners from being released, the government is now considering freeing another group of dangerous inmates.

The government announced that individuals convicted of manslaughter would be excluded from the scheme, following a campaign by the family of PC Andrew Harper, who was killed in 2019. The prime minister had indicated that prison space would be created by releasing some prisoners serving indefinite sentences, known as IPPs, and by deporting foreign nationals.

Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones assured the public that "nothing would be done that would risk the public or put the public at danger." The early release scheme is expected to see approximately 4,500 prisoners begin to be released in stages from October to alleviate overcrowding in prisons.

Timothy argued that releasing prisoners serving IPPs poses its own significant risks. These sentences were given to offenders between 2005 and 2012 who were deemed to pose a substantial risk of serious harm to the public. They could only be released once the Parole Board was satisfied they were no longer a danger.

"By definition, the people who are still in prison on those sentences are dangerous, because they've all been considered by independent expert assessors who have concluded that they are not safe to release and they would be a danger to the public," Timothy told the BBC. He acknowledged that insufficient prisons were built under the previous Conservative government.

Indefinite prison sentences have been imposed in several high-profile cases. Ministry of Justice data from June shows that 2,271 individuals were serving IPPs, with 856 never having been released due to Parole Board assessments of public safety.

Ending indefinite sentences for those still serving them would necessitate new legislation, a process that could take years and delay the freeing up of prison space. The reduction in the number of prisoners eligible for release due to the new exclusions is also expected to impact the projected gains in prison capacity.

Questions remain about the precise measures being taken to ensure public safety, given the Conservatives' concerns about the potential release of individuals deemed a risk. The effectiveness of the scheme in addressing overcrowding while mitigating these risks is a key point of contention.