Alongside ROTL, prisoners in England and Wales can also leave custody earlier than their original sentence would suggest, through a separate set of automatic early release schemes. These are distinct from ROTL because they end the custodial part of a sentence altogether, rather than granting a short, revocable period of leave from it.
Most standard determinate sentences have long included a fixed early release point, with the remainder of the sentence served under supervision in the community rather than in custody. In late 2023, facing severe prison overcrowding, the government introduced the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme, releasing some prisoners up to 60 days early on a temporary basis. In September 2024, a further scheme, SDS40, moved the standard automatic release point from the halfway mark to 40% of the sentence for most standard determinate sentences, excluding some categories of serious violent and sexual offending.
The Sentencing Act 2026, following recommendations made by David Gauke’s Independent Sentencing Review, went further still, introducing an “earned progression” model under which most prisoners’ automatic release point can move earlier again, toward a third of the sentence, for good behaviour in custody, with the possibility of it moving later for those who don’t comply. The same Act abolished most short custodial sentences of under twelve months.
As with ROTL, these schemes attract considerable political and media attention whenever a high-profile case becomes linked to them. See ROTL & Early Release Policy Changes for how this has played out over the last two to three years, including the review of the scheme ordered by the government in the summer of 2026.