Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prisoner Releases in Error

Tuesday 19 May 2026 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government publishes data on releases in error each July in the HM Prison and Probation Service annual digest.
  • The Government published ad hoc data for the period April 2025 to March 2026 on 15 April.
  • Joe Robertson stated that 441 prisoners have been released in error under the current Government over a two-year period.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 James Wild Con North West Norfolk
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is questioning the government's transparency regarding prisoner releases in error since July 2024.

Question

What estimate he has made of the number of prisoners released in error since July 2024. Despite implementing what the Justice Secretary said were the strongest ever checks, every week criminals are being given a “Get out of jail free” card.

Answer from Jake Richards

The Government are committed to transparency on this issue. We publish data on releases in error each July in the HM Prison and Probation Service annual digest. On 15 April we also published ad hoc data for April 2025 to March 2026, alongside Dame Lynne Owens' independent review and the Government's response, accepting, in principle, all the recommendations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The number of prisoners released in error since July 2024 was not specified.

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Q2 Joe Robertson Con Isle of Wight East
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is referencing a specific number of prisoners released in error and criticising the government for not providing an answer.

Question

Oh dear. My question was about how many prisoners have been released in error under this Government, and the Minister does not seem to know the answer. That is okay, as I can tell him. It is 441, which over a two-year period is the worst on record.

Answer from Jake Richards

That question is a very good example of someone not listening to my answer but assuming that he had. We will release the data for this very serious and important issue, as we should, in due course.

Not addressed: The MP's direct request for an apology was ignored, and the blame is shifted onto the previous government.

How: Blaming The Opposition

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Q3 James Wild Con North West Norfolk
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is questioning why it still takes days for the Prison Service to notify police when prisoners are wrongly released.

Question

Despite implementing what the Justice Secretary said were the strongest ever checks, every week criminals are being given a “Get out of jail free” card. How many of those 441 prisoners, wrongly let out of prison on Labour's watch, remain at large?

Answer from Jake Richards

The truth is that this is a long-standing issue in our criminal justice system, and it is a disgrace—any release in error is a disgrace. We are building more prisons than we have done since the Victorian era. We introduced the Sentencing Act 2026 for sustainability in our prison system.

Not addressed: The specific number of prisoners still at large was not provided, and the timing issue regarding notifications to police was ignored.

How: Blaming The Opposition

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