The UK government has released 1,700 prisoners early, reducing the minimum served sentence from 50% to 40% to address severe prison overcrowding. This scheme excludes those convicted of sexual, terrorist, and domestic abuse offenses but includes those on the sex offenders register jailed for other crimes. Victims' advocacy groups and the chief inspector of prisons have raised concerns about the rushed implementation, lack of victim notification, and the increased risk of reoffending. The Ministry of Justice emphasized the necessity of the policy to prevent 'unchecked criminality' due to lack of prison space. Despite preparatory efforts by the Probation Service, there are significant worries about the readiness of support services to handle the sudden influx of released inmates.