Justice Secretary David Lammy has disclosed that a dozen inmates were mistakenly released from prisons in England and Wales over the past month, with two of those individuals still not apprehended.
Latest Figures Reveal Ongoing Crisis
Speaking to broadcasters on Tuesday morning, Mr Lammy confirmed that 12 prisoners had been freed in error since his last statement to the House of Commons on November 11. This fresh batch of blunders follows earlier data which showed that 91 accidental releases occurred between April 1 and October 31 this year alone.
The Justice Secretary stated he had been "reassured" that the two prisoners who remain at large are not considered violent or sexual offenders. However, he declined to provide further details on their identities or cases, citing operational sensitivity for the police.
A 'Mountain to Climb' for the Justice System
This latest revelation intensifies the scrutiny on Mr Lammy and the Ministry of Justice, following a series of high-profile mistaken releases that have rocked public confidence. Last month, the Justice Secretary admitted there was still a "mountain to climb" to resolve the deepening prisons crisis.
The issue was thrown into sharp focus by the case of Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was wrongly freed from HMP Wandsworth. He was later arrested in Finsbury Park. Another inmate, Billy Smith, 35, who was accidentally released from the same jail, handed himself back in.
Prior to that, the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford on October 24 sparked major concern. Kebatu, a now-deported Ethiopian national, was subsequently arrested for alleged sexual assaults, leading to protests in Epping, Essex.
New Checks and Political Fallout
In response to the Kebatu case, Mr Lammy announced stronger security checks for prisons and launched an independent investigation into releases made in error. He pointed to a "downward trend" in such incidents following the implementation of these tougher measures.
However, the scale of the problem remains vast. Government figures reveal that 262 inmates were mistakenly released in the year to March 2025. This represents a staggering 128% increase on the 115 accidental releases recorded in the previous twelve-month period.
The opposition was quick to criticise. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick accused Mr Lammy of failing to "be straight with the public" regarding the two missing inmates. Labelling him "Calamity Lammy," the Tory frontbencher said: "The public are consistently being put at risk because of his shambolic management. When will this fiasco end?"
