The widow of murdered PC Andrew Harper, Lissie Harper, has publicly condemned government plans to allow the early release of prisoners, including her husband's killers, branding the policy "deplorable" soft justice. Her intervention has triggered a backlash against the scheme, forcing minister Burnham to review the early release proposals. The row highlights ongoing political tensions over criminal justice policy and prison capacity measures in England and Wales.

PC Harper died in 2019 after being dragged along a road while responding to a burglary, a case that drew widespread public attention and calls for tougher sentencing. The early release scheme under scrutiny is designed to ease pressure on overcrowded prisons, but critics, including Mrs Harper, argue it undermines justice for victims' families by potentially freeing violent offenders ahead of their full terms. The backlash has put pressure on the scheme's architects to reconsider its scope amid a wider political "revolt".