When can they come home for a day?

Day release exists, it has a name (ROTL), and for most people in open prison it really happens. Here is how it works and when it becomes realistic.

The ladder, from first hours out to nights at home

Escorted absences: a few hours out with staff, the first test.
Day release: out in the morning, back by evening. Family time, work placements, training, appointments.
Overnight home leave: one or more nights at the home address, usually later in the sentence, after day releases have gone well.
Regular working out: daily travel to a real job from open prison, the last step before release for many.

Each rung is earned by the one before. A missed return or a failed test knocks the whole ladder down, which is why people inside guard their ROTL record carefully.

When it becomes realistic

Open conditions are the key. Most family day releases happen from Cat D or women's open prisons. Getting to open conditions is the real milestone: see how recategorisation works.
After settling in. New arrivals in open conditions wait through a risk assessment and a settling period, often a few weeks to a few months, before the first releases.
From closed prisons, rarely. Usually only near the end of the sentence, for work or resettlement reasons, and case by case.
Not at all on remand or for Category A prisoners.

What family can do

Provide a stable address and keep your details current with the prison. Home leave needs somewhere approved to go.
Understand the build-up. Asking "why only four hours?" misses that four good hours unlock the next step.
Keep first visits home quiet and simple. No surprise gatherings. A calm day that ends with an on-time return is a win for everyone.
If ROTL keeps being refused, the person inside can ask for the reasons in writing and work on exactly those points with their OMU.
The full official rules are in the ROTL policy framework on GOV.UK.

Common questions

What is ROTL?

Release on Temporary Licence: permission to leave the prison for a set time and come back. It starts small, a few escorted hours, and builds up to full days out, work placements, and overnight stays at home. It is how the system tests people before real release.

When can a prisoner come home for a day?

Usually once they are in open conditions (Cat D or a women’s open prison), after a risk assessment and a settled period there, often a few weeks to a few months after arriving. Day releases for family time come before overnight home leave. Closed prisons allow ROTL in far fewer cases, usually near the end of the sentence for work or resettlement.

Who cannot get ROTL?

People on remand, Category A and high-risk prisoners, and anyone subject to certain restrictions. For everyone else it is discretionary: the prison weighs the risk, the reason for the release, and how they have behaved. A knocked-back application can be tried again after things improve.

What is the difference between day release and home leave?

Day release (resettlement day release) is out in the day and back the same evening: family time, work, training or appointments. Home leave (resettlement overnight release) is nights at home, usually later in the sentence and after successful day releases. Each step earns the next.

How can family help them get ROTL?

Offer a stable address for visits and overnights, keep your details up to date with the prison, and be patient with the build-up: a clean record of short releases is what unlocks the longer ones. If a home visit is coming, keep it calm and simple. A quiet successful day does more than a big party.

Planning further ahead? The release date tool shows when they get out for good, and the recategorisation guide shows the road to open conditions.