The Ministry of Justice is under intense scrutiny after newly released figures confirmed that 91 prisoners have been freed by mistake since April this year.
The data, covering the period from 1 April to 31 October 2025, reveals a systemic problem within the prison service, placing significant pressure on Justice Secretary David Lammy.
High-Profile Blunders and Political Fallout
The scale of the issue was brought into sharp focus by a series of high-profile errors, including the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu. The Ethiopian national, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, was incorrectly freed on 24 October, prompting a three-day manhunt before he was deported.
This was swiftly followed by two more erroneous releases from HMP Wandsworth. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, was freed on 29 October and was later re-arrested after a police search. He was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal. Billy Smith, 35, convicted of fraud, was also mistakenly released but handed himself back into custody.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick declared these incidents were "just the tip of the iceberg," pledging to press the government for the "full picture".
Systemic Failures and a Search for Solutions
According to the Ministry of Justice, these releases in error can occur for various reasons, including misplaced warrants, miscalculated sentences, or mistakes made by courts and other authorities.
The problem appears to be growing. Separate government figures show that 262 inmates were mistakenly released in the year to March 2025, a staggering 128% increase from the 115 recorded in the previous twelve months.
In response to the crisis, the government has announced stronger security checks for prisons and launched an independent investigation. Prisons minister Lord James Timpson admitted there is "no quick fix" and that it will "take time to get it right." In a modernisation effort, a digital team has been given approval to explore using AI chatbots to assist with prisoner release procedures.
Ongoing Uncertainty and Internal Chaos
The situation behind the scenes remains chaotic. It is currently understood that three prisoners released in error remain at large. Furthermore, government sources revealed that the scale of the problem was initially miscounted, with one offender thought to have been wrongly freed actually having been miscounted entirely.
Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, stated that such mistakes are happening "all the time" and are a clear symptom of the chaos within the system.
Justice Secretary David Lammy, who is set to face a grilling from MPs, has vowed that the government "must bear down on these numbers" and promised to update Parliament on the steps being taken to reverse this alarming trend.
