An alarming analysis reveals that under the Labour government, a prisoner is being mistakenly freed from jail once every two days, exposing a deepening crisis within the prison system.
Scale of the Scandal: 302 Inmates Wrongly Freed
According to data, 302 inmates have been erroneously released since Sir Keir Starmer took power 18 months ago. This marks a significant escalation from the previous administration, where analysis suggests a prisoner was mistakenly freed every 5.6 days under the Conservatives.
The catalogue of those wrongly let go includes violent and sex offenders, alongside thieves and fraudsters. In a humiliating admission to MPs, Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy confirmed that a further 12 inmates had been released in error in the past month alone, with two of them still on the run.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick branded the situation a "total shambles", piling pressure on the government.
Worst Offenders and High-Profile Blunders
Official prison-by-prison data, which currently runs until March 2025, highlights HMP Pentonville as a particular hotspot for errors. The Victorian-era north London jail, which once held Oscar Wilde, has erroneously released seven inmates since Labour's election victory last July – a joint highest in the country.
Those mistakenly freed from Pentonville included sex offenders, robbers, thieves, and individuals caught with weapons.
The government has faced mounting scrutiny following several high-profile cases. These include the mistaken release of Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national convicted of sexual assault who was at the centre of asylum protests in Epping, Essex. He was freed in error from HMP Chelmsford in October instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre and has since been deported.
In quick succession, Algerian national Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was accidentally freed from HMP Wandsworth, only to be re-arrested after a police manhunt. Days later, fraud convict Billy Smith was also wrongly released from the same prison before handing himself back in.
A System Under "Intolerable Strain"
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures paint a stark picture of a system buckling under pressure. In the 2024-25 financial year, a record 262 releases were made in error across England and Wales – more than double the 115 recorded the previous year. The bulk of these, 199, occurred under Labour's watch.
Releases in error can occur due to misplaced warrants, sentence miscalculations, or mistakes by courts and other authorities. They can happen not just within prison walls but also in 'escort areas' during transfers.
Despite the rising numbers, Mr Lammy insisted the trend was now "going downwards" due to improvements he has implemented. These include a new urgent hotline staffed by court experts for warrant queries, stronger security checks, and an independent probe into the errors led by Dame Lynne Owens.
However, experts and former prison staff have linked the surge in mistakes to Labour's controversial early release scheme, arguing it has turned sentence calculations into a "minefield" and doubled the workload for already stretched personnel. Prisons minister Lord James Timpson conceded there was "no quick fix", acknowledging it would "take time to get it right."
In a statement, Mr Lammy said: "The first duty of any Government is to keep the public safe. The rise in releases in error is one symptom of a service under intolerable strain... this Government will do what it takes to protect the public."
