Extra support for victims concerned and impacted by early prison release scheme

The first tranche of releases under the Sentencing Act 2026 is now underway and, at the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Humberside, we understand this may be worrying for those who have been victims of crime.

The OPCC has been awarded £145,000 from the Ministry of Justice to fund additional capacity within local support services for victims.

Victim Support has a dedicated Offender Release Helpline to provide information, emotional and practical support and help to access other services for those affected by, or concerned about, the release of an offender.

The helpline is there to:

• Listen to victims and survivors’ concerns and offer emotional support 
• Discuss wellbeing, safety and possible next steps
• Provide practical guidance and help callers understand what the changes may mean
• Explain how someone may be able to seek further information. The helpline cannot provide information about individual offenders or case specific release dates 
• Help people access ongoing or specialist support where appropriate.

The Offender Release Helpline is available on 0808 168 9280.

For further information about the helpline and support available, click HERE.

To contact our local Victim Support Service, call 0800 368 7586.

UNDERSTANDING THE SENTENCING ACT 2026

The Sentencing Act 2026 makes changes to the amount of time some offenders spend in prison before being released to serve the rest of their sentence on licence.

A new three-part model will be introduced for standard determinate sentences called a ‘Progression Model’.

Protecting victims remains a priority. All offenders released through the Progression Model will be subject to strict licence conditions and a period of intensive supervision.

The changes do not apply to more than 18,000 offenders. For a list of offences to which this model does not apply, click HERE.

For more information about the Progression Model, what is changing, how victims can be informed and what support is available can be found, click HERE.