NEWSFLASH | Sentencing Act implementation and associated probation changes taking effect from 1st October 2026

Sentencing Act implementation and associated probation changes taking effect from 1st October 2026

Following correspondence from Chief Probation Officer, Kim Thornden-Edwards, the following newsflash sets out details regarding the ongoing implementation of the Sentencing Act and associated changes to probation practice, introduced through the Our Future Probation Service (OFPS) programme.

We have provided more extensive detail in this blog here 

The next phase of changes under the Sentencing Act will take effect from 1st October.

Key measures:

Progression Model:

• A three-part structure for eligible Standard Determinate Sentences (SDS): (1) Custody, (2) Supervision in the Community, (3) Licence Stage
  • Those serving Standard Determinate Sentences (SDS) will generally be released at the 1/3 point of their sentence.
  • Those on SDS Plus will generally be released at the ½ point of their sentence.
• Those convicted of rape and certain child sexual offences will now be excluded. More details on excluded offences can be found, here.
• Releases will be phased between October 2026 and June 2027, with the first two tranches scheduled for 1 October and 13 October 2026.
• There will be no new Home Detention Curfew (HDC) releases following 2 September 2026.

Changes to supervision:

• Active supervision will take place during the second third of the sentence, ending during the final third (licence stage), with exceptions for people managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA), those convicted of Child Sexual Exploitation offences, and those assessed by probation as most likely to reoffend
• Supervision will be retained for those ineligible for the Progression Model.
• Presumption toward Electronic Monitoring on release for eligible cases, which will remain until the point at which the person would have previously been released prior to the changes introduced by the Progression Model

New Restrictions:

• From 1 October 2026, new Restrictive Measures (including prohibitions from driving and attending public events) and Restriction Zones supported by electronic monitoring, which are not necessarily tied to the original offence.

A new Probation Requirement

• From 1 October 2026, the Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) will be replaced with a new Probation Requirement for new Community Orders and Suspended Sentence Orders, giving probation practitioners greater flexibility to tailor rehabilitative activity.

Early Termination

• If supported by evidence of progress, risk assessment and professional judgement (subject to appropriate governance and oversight), Community Orders and Suspended Sentence Orders can be concluded before the end of a sentence, where sentence objectives have been achieved and continued support is deemed no longer necessary
• This measure was introduced earlier in 2026.

Supervision Packages

• From 1 October 2026, introduction of Supervision Packages, linking the ‘intensity’ of probation supervision more closely to assessed risk and need. The aim is to target probation’s resources towards those who are at highest risk of serious harm and reoffending
• Enhanced community management arrangements for certain groups, including those excluded from the Progression Model

Custody-to-community transitions

• Further changes to Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) and pre-release arrangements designed to improve transition planning and information sharing will begin on 1 September 2026.

Next steps:

The Chief Probation Officer’s letter explicitly recognises the importance and role of the voluntary sector and acknowledges the impact these changes will have on service delivery. Based on the information provided, we recommend that voluntary organisations continue to engage with local, statutory stakeholders across the prison estate and probation.

We will be regularly consulting with the sector, and work closely with officials, to ensure that sector expertise is consistently utilised as implementation progresses.

Further information will be provided across our usual digital channels. For any queries regarding any of the changes, please get in contact with our Director of National Influencing & Networks, Sam Julius – sam.julius@clinks.org