By: Sky News
In a move that may surprise many abroad, the United Kingdom is considering bold reforms to its criminal justice system—including the possibility of chemical castration for sex offenders and the early release of thousands of prisoners.
The proposals come from an independent sentencing review led by former Justice Secretary David Gauke, commissioned by the UK government amid a growing crisis of prison overcrowding. The review aims to reduce the inmate population by nearly 10,000 by the year 2028.
At the heart of the reform is a so-called “progression model,” under which well-behaved prisoners would serve only one-third of their jail terms before being released. The policy would apply broadly, based on the length of the sentence rather than the nature of the crime. This means that even sex offenders and domestic abusers sentenced to less than four years could qualify for early release.
Under this model, offenders would serve a third of their sentence behind bars, another third under community supervision (known in the UK as being “on licence”), and the final portion without any formal oversight. If an individual were to reoffend during this unsupervised phase, they would return to prison to complete the remainder of their sentence—along with any additional time for the new crime.
The possibility of chemical castration, particularly for repeat sex offenders, has also been raised, signaling the government’s intention to combine early release for some with harsher conditions for others.