# Why the UK faces a prisons crisis amid row over release of cop killers

https://mins.news/en/item/20310

- Al Jazeera, 2026-08-12 14:23 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/12/why-the-uk-faces-a-prisons-crisis-amid-row-over-release-of-cop-killers?traffic_source=rss

> The killers of police officer Andrew Harper had been due to take part in an early-release scheme. Their planned release comes as the UK prison system nears collapse, prompting a dispute over freeing people convicted of killing police officers and highlighting the wider prisons crisis.

## Related coverage

- [Early prisoner release scheme risks serious crime, probation chief warns](https://mins.news/en/video/20308) — BBC News, 2026-08-12