The changes, due to come into force in September, have been designed to ease overcrowding across England and Wales’ prisons by reducing the amount of time some offenders spend behind bars before being released on licence.
The MoJ said the Labour government was “fixing the prison crisis [it had] inherited” by creating 14,000 new prison places and “reforming sentencing so we can always lock up dangerous criminals”.
“This is a horrific case and our thoughts remain with Jade,” a spokesperson said.
“Public and victim protection is our priority which is why we are toughening community punishment, investing more than half a billion pounds in victim support and have driven convictions for child sex offences to record levels.”
But Belgrove said crime survivors should not be paying the price for challenges within the prison system.
“It will affect me because my sense of justice will be completely stolen from me,” she said of the early release scheme.
“I already live with a life sentence from what he’s done to me. I will just be made to feel worthless and unheard and dismissed like I don’t matter all over again.”
