Automatic Release Date (ARD)

The date when prisoners on standard determinate sentences are automatically released. It is no longer the halfway point for most people: SDS40 moved it to 40% in September 2024, and from 1 October 2026 it moves to one-third. Sentences under section 244ZA of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 move from two-thirds to one-half. Offences listed in the Schedule to SI 2026/953 are excluded and keep their current release point, which for sexual, domestic abuse and national security offences is one-half rather than 40%.