A total of 91 prisoners in England and Wales were mistakenly released from custody between April and October this year, according to new figures from the Ministry of Justice.
The revelation comes amid rising concern over accidental prison releases following several high-profile cases in recent weeks.
The government data highlights the growing strain on the prison system, which Justice Secretary David Lammy said reflects “a crisis” inherited from the former Conservative administration.
Addressing lawmakers in the House of Commons, Lammy described the situation as “symptomatic of a prison system under a horrendous strain,” while his Conservative counterpart, Robert Jenrick, blamed Labour’s recently introduced early release scheme for the confusion leading to the errors.
The number of mistaken releases has been steadily increasing over the past few years. In the 12 months leading up to March, a total of 262 prisoners were freed in error across England and Wales, a 128% jump from 115 recorded the previous year.
The latest MoJ data covers the seven-month period between April 1 and October 31 and includes all cases where individuals were released despite still being legally required to remain in custody.
The department clarified that the data excludes any instance where a prisoner or third party deliberately contributed to the mistake.
Officials also cautioned that the new figures are not directly comparable to annual statistics, citing possible seasonal variations and delayed recordings, and noted that revisions “have tended to be upwards” in previous years.
A bar chart titled “Rise in prisoners released in error” shows the following trend; 2015: 49, 2016: 64, 2017: 72, 2018: 66, 2019: 64, 2020: 50, 2021: 46, 2022: 54, 2023: 81, 2024: 115, and 2025: 262. Figures from 2023 onwards include releases in error identified after the reporting period ended.
Speaking to MPs after the data was published, Lammy reiterated the government’s determination to tackle the issue:
“I’m clear that we must bear down on these numbers, which are symptomatic of a prison system under a horrendous strain.”
He attributed part of the problem to a shortage of experienced prison staff, noting that “the number of frontline prison officers had been cut by a quarter between 2010 and 2017.”
“Unsurprisingly, mistakes happen in those circumstances,” he added.
Lammy said the prison release system requires “a radical overhaul,” arguing that technology will play a key role in fixing the problem long-term.
He outlined several measures the government is currently pursuing and confirmed that an independent review into mistaken releases is underway, with findings expected by February next year.
Lammy also disclosed that three prisoners released in error remain at large. One was serving time for failure to surrender to police and was released in December 2024, another for a drug offence released in August 2024, and the third for aggravated burglary released in June 2025.
Of the three, one is a foreign national offender, while the other two are British citizens.
He added that authorities are investigating another potential mistaken release from November 3, with that individual possibly still unaccounted for.
Jenrick accused Lammy of presiding over “a complete and utter farce,” saying,
“He’s literally lost track of how many prisoners he’s lost. The public are being put at risk. He must get a grip or go.”
The Conservative MP, who had pressed for the figures to be made public, further claimed Lammy was forced “kicking and screaming” to release the data.
He also argued that Labour’s early release policy, introduced to reduce overcrowding, had caused “confusion” and contributed to the mistakes.
Under the emergency early release scheme, certain inmates can be freed after serving 40% of their sentence, rather than the usual 50%.
Lammy defended the measure, saying it was a necessary step to deal with overcrowding left by the Conservatives’ failure to build sufficient prison capacity.
The issue has recently been thrust into the spotlight following two separate incidents at HMP Wandsworth, where inmates were wrongly released within the same week, both later recaptured after police manhunts.
It also follows the mistaken release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford in Essex last month.
Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was living in an asylum hotel when he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Epping, sparking widespread protests before his deportation.
