A UK government press release published on 4 August 2026 said the Prime Minister had ordered that rape, serious child sex and other grooming offences be barred from upcoming changes to prison sentences. According to the release, those offences would join exclusions already applying to 18,000 offenders, including those found by a court to be most dangerous and anyone serving a life sentence. The Prime Minister said he wanted to go further but that this was not possible without the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing; the release put adult male prisons at 98% capacity.

The release set out plans for tougher community measures, including a presumption that all offenders are tagged, longer supervision and restriction zones. It said rapists and those convicted of serious child sex offences who had served their full time would face GPS trail monitoring for 12 months and strengthened supervision. A £10 million victim support package and a dedicated helpline were also announced.

Wider releases under the Sentencing Act were being delayed from September to October, the release said, and the Progression Model was due to come into force on 1 October 2026. It said 14,000 new prison places were expected by 2031.