Reform UK Swindon weighs in on prisoner early release plan

The party says public protection must come before pressure on prison capacity.
Reform UK Swindon has written to Will Stone MP and Heidi Alexander MP, asking them to raise concerns with the Government over the impact of early prisoner release on policing, probation, and community safety in Swindon.
The letters highlight findings from the HM Inspectorate of Probation inspection of the South West, published in February 2026, which included the Swindon & Wiltshire Probation Delivery Unit.
Reform notes that inspectors found that fewer than a third of inspected cases met the required standard for keeping people safe during implementation and delivery, while 45% met the standard during assessment and 39% during review.
The Inspectorate reported that responses to prison-capacity pressures had reduced the time available to complete public-protection work before release, describing this as a particular concern for people subject to early-release schemes.
Cllr Sara Godwin, Leader of Reform UK Swindon, said: “The issue is not simply whether prisons have enough capacity. 
"The overriding question must be whether it is safe and appropriate for an offender to be released into the community, with proper supervision and public-protection arrangements in place.
“The findings from HM Inspectorate of Probation are extremely concerning. If prison-capacity pressures are reducing the time available to carry out vital public-protection work before release, the Government needs to explain what it is doing to address that risk.
“People in Swindon deserve answers. They deserve to know whether our police and probation services have the resources they need and what safeguards are in place to protect the public.
“That is why we have written to both of Swindon’s MPs and asked them to take these concerns directly to Government.”
The letters ask both MPs to seek answers from the Government over SDS40 - a policy introduced in 2024 that allows eligible prisoners to be automatically released on licence after serving 40% of their sentence instead of 50%.
Reform UK Swindon asks about the number of offenders released and subsequently recalled, arrested or convicted of further offences, along with the number currently supervised by the Swindon & Wiltshire Probation Delivery Unit and what additional resources have been provided to local police and probation services.
Reform UK Swindon is also calling for a long-term plan to increase prison capacity, rather than allowing early release to become a permanent means of managing overcrowding.
Cllr Godwin added: “People should have confidence that offenders are released because it is safe and appropriate to do so - not simply because there is insufficient prison capacity.
“Early release cannot become a substitute for sufficient prison capacity. Reform UK has put forward an alternative through Operation Restoring Justice, with a clear strategy to tackle the capacity crisis and restore confidence in our criminal justice system.
“We need long-term solutions, not short-term measures that risk placing further pressure on our police and probation services. Public safety must come first.”
 

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