At least 91 prisoners have been mistakenly released from English and Welsh prisons since April, according to Justice Secretary David Lammy. This number includes a fourth inmate who is still at large, despite efforts by police to track them down.
The revelation has sparked criticism, with shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick labeling Lammy as "clueless" for failing to know the exact number of prisoners remaining on the run. In a Commons statement, Lammy attributed the errors to cuts under previous Conservative governments, which led to a quarter of frontline prison officers being reduced between 2010 and 2017.
The data also shows that there has been a significant rise in prisoner releases in error since last year, with 262 prisoners being freed on false pretenses from April to March this year, representing an increase of 128% compared to the previous year. New data published by Lammy's department reveals that from April to October this year, there were 91 further releases in error.
The causes of these errors are varied, but have included mistakes during the release process. One such case involved a prisoner who was released without being detected by police, while another saw an inmate fail to surrender after being freed on false pretenses.
In response to the recent incidents, Lammy has vowed to overhaul the release process, including introducing new checks and calling in prison governors to improve oversight. He also announced plans to establish a justice performance board, which he will chair monthly, and invest £10m in an AI scheme to help frontline staff calculate sentences accurately and avoid mistakes.
Despite the criticisms surrounding his handling of these incidents, Lammy has maintained that immediate action is being taken to address the crisis, including tougher release checks and additional support for prison governors.
The revelation has sparked criticism, with shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick labeling Lammy as "clueless" for failing to know the exact number of prisoners remaining on the run. In a Commons statement, Lammy attributed the errors to cuts under previous Conservative governments, which led to a quarter of frontline prison officers being reduced between 2010 and 2017.
The data also shows that there has been a significant rise in prisoner releases in error since last year, with 262 prisoners being freed on false pretenses from April to March this year, representing an increase of 128% compared to the previous year. New data published by Lammy's department reveals that from April to October this year, there were 91 further releases in error.
The causes of these errors are varied, but have included mistakes during the release process. One such case involved a prisoner who was released without being detected by police, while another saw an inmate fail to surrender after being freed on false pretenses.
In response to the recent incidents, Lammy has vowed to overhaul the release process, including introducing new checks and calling in prison governors to improve oversight. He also announced plans to establish a justice performance board, which he will chair monthly, and invest £10m in an AI scheme to help frontline staff calculate sentences accurately and avoid mistakes.
Despite the criticisms surrounding his handling of these incidents, Lammy has maintained that immediate action is being taken to address the crisis, including tougher release checks and additional support for prison governors.
it's crazy how many people were set free without even checking if they were supposed to go out or not. i feel bad for the ones who got away though, it must be super frustrating for the police and everyone else trying to catch them.
it's not rocket science!
. fingers crossed!
91 prisoners gone rogue? That's wild! I feel bad for the ones who were affected by their mistakes 
. But at the same time, it makes me wonder how they even manage to slip out unnoticed 
.
. But £10m on an AI scheme? That's a lot of cash 
. Are we really solving the problem or just throwing money at it? 
. I think they should've done that last year instead of cutting jobs and making things more complicated. And what's with the AI scheme? £10m is a lot of money for a scheme that might not even work 
. 91 ppl released already? that's not just a mistake, thats negligence 
. lammy needs to step up his game if he wants to fix this before more people get hurt. and £10m on AI? come on, that's like throwing money at the problem without solving it 
. I mean, 91 prisoners released by mistake? That's just crazy! I don't think it's fair to say that Justice Secretary David Lammy is clueless though 
. He's trying to fix the problems caused by cuts under previous governments, which is a tough job.
. And yeah, it's good to see him investing in AI technology to help frontline staff calculate sentences accurately 
. But at the same time, I think he needs to take responsibility for not knowing the exact number of prisoners on the run earlier 
.
. We need to know what's being done behind the scenes to prevent these mistakes from happening in the future 
.
2025's prison release fiasco is a huge mess 
and lammy's response to this whole thing seems kinda half-baked 
And what about that fourth prisoner who's still on the run? How long are we gonna have to wait for them to be caught?! 
This is just a recipe for disaster!
hope everything gets sorted out soon! 
"Actions speak louder than words". The recent news of prisoners being mistakenly released from English and Welsh prisons is a clear reminder that we need to be vigilant and ensure that our systems are working correctly. 128% increase in prisoner releases in error since last year is a red flag, it's time for immediate action 
. I guess it's true what they say, "you can't judge a book by its cover"... or in this case, a prisoner on the run 
.