Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act 2020
Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act 2020: simple summary
- What it is: A UK law that ends the automatic early release on licence for people convicted of terrorism offences.
- Who it affects: People convicted of terrorism offences in England, Scotland and Wales.
- What changed: The automatic release of terrorists halfway through their sentence is stopped; their release is more strictly controlled or they remain in custody longer.
- Why it happened: Introduced as emergency legislation after the Streatham stabbing in February 2020, where the attacker had been released from prison. The bill aimed to prevent similar releases.
- When it became law: The bill was introduced on 11 February 2020, received royal assent on 26 February 2020, and took effect immediately, preventing about 50 convicted terrorists from being released automatically.
- Long title: An Act to make provision about the release on licence of offenders convicted of terrorist offences or offences with a terrorist connection; and for connected purposes.
- Background note: Former Prime Minister Theresa May commented that rehabilitation remains important, even though the government needed to address the issue of early release.
- Other changes: The act also amends several existing laws related to prisoners, sentencing and related areas to support these new rules.
- Status: Current law in the United Kingdom.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 22:36 (CET).