A prison-capacity review chief has warned that jails in England and Wales could run out of space by November, increasing pressure on the Government to manage overcrowding. Andy Burnham has paused an early-release scheme after controversy over its possible effect on the killers of PC Andrew Harper, whose case has heightened public concern about prisoner releases.

The warning suggests the prison system faces an imminent capacity crisis, with early release among the measures being considered or used to relieve overcrowding. The article links the policy dispute to the convictions for the killing of PC Harper, a Thames Valley Police officer who died in 2019 while responding to a reported theft.