The Chief Inspector of Prisons, staying on for six months while the Ministry of Justice seeks a successor, criticised procurement rules and staff selection, and called for drug-free prisons.
Three men serving indefinite sentences under a long-abolished law have received fixed terms instead, after the Criminal Cases Review Commission backed their challenges.
A 45-year-old serving an IPP sentence admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Magistrates ordered the term to run alongside the sentence he is already serving.
The Chief Inspector of Probation said he was not fully confident probation could cope, while the Chief Inspector of Prisons called the system very fragile.
The Howard League and the Prison Reform Trust say the Government's changes to the Sentencing Act 2026 treat the symptoms of the prison crisis rather than its causes.
The Prime Minister said people held under IPP sentences should go free by 2029, while ministers removed more offence types from the Sentencing Act early release scheme.
Andy Burnham has asked Justice Secretary Alex Norris to review the abolished IPP sentence, under which more than 2,200 people remain in custody.
In its first published opinion on Imprisonment for Public Protection, a United Nations body has condemned the UK over the continued detention of people serving the indefinite sentences.
Andy Burnham has revived the Sentencing Act release scheme a month late and for fewer prisoners. He has also asked officials to review IPP sentences.
The Government's 2026/27 IPP Action Plan introduces prison advocates and four progression prisons, but campaign group UNGRIPP says it is fundamentally flawed.
