British Justice Minister David Lammy revealed that 91 prisoners had been wrongly released in England and Wales since April, noting that four of them were still at large.
In a statement to the House of Commons, Lammy explained that the police are trying to track down three prisoners who were released by mistake, while the Prison Service is conducting an investigation into a fourth prisoner who was released last Monday.
He confirmed that among these three, none of them had committed sexual crimes, as the release included a drug offender in August 2024, a prisoner who did not surrender himself to the police in December 2024, and a prisoner convicted of aggravated robbery in June 2025.
The Justice Secretary came under sharp criticism from the Shadow Justice Secretary, Robert Jenrick, who described his handling of the matter as an “absolute farce,” warning that the public was at risk as a result of these errors continuing.
Lammy blamed spending cuts under previous governments, stressing that the number of prison officers decreased by about 6,000 between 2010 and 2017; This affected the employees’ experience and increased pressure on the system.
He added that the release process needed radical reform, and announced measures including the establishment of a justice delivery board and a £10 million artificial intelligence program to support frontline staff.
According to ministry data, 262 prisoners were released by mistake during the year ending in March 2025 out of 57,000 release cases, an increase of 128% over the previous year, with an average of 17 cases per month in the last year compared to nine cases per month in 2023.
The authorities also noted that these errors, such as the mistaken release of Ibrahim Kaddour Sharif and Billy Smith from Wandsworth Prison, and Hadush Kibatu from Chelmsford Prison, underscore the need to strengthen security measures and prevent their recurrence.
