Andy Burnham once insisted there was little more he could do to stop serious offenders being released early without risking the collapse of Britain's overcrowded prison system. That dramatic shift is at the heart of the growing row over the government's early release scheme. Fifty senior police leaders, including all 43 chief constables in England and Wales, are warning the Prime Minister that the Government’s early release scheme still leaves serious public protection concerns. A Prison System Under Severe StrainBehind the controversy sits a crisis that cannot simply be wished away. It could influence how the government redraws the boundaries of its early release scheme as it tries to balance prison capacity with public confidence in sentencing.