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Strengthening prison releases
15 April 2026
Type
Written Ministerial Statement
Department
Ministry of Justice
TAGS
At a Glance
Issue Summary
The statement addresses the issue of mistaken prisoner releases and outlines steps to address recommendations from Dame Lynne Owens' Independent Review.
Action Requested
The government is committing up to £82 million over this Spending Review period to implement recommendations, including simplifying processes, increasing digitalisation, enhancing communication with victims, and investing in Justice ID technology. Immediate actions include bolstering manual checks and training staff, while medium-term plans involve biometric trials and phasing out paper records.
Key Facts
- Dame Lynne Owens submitted an Independent Review into Releases in Error.
- The government is committing up to £82 million investment over this Spending Review period.
- Immediate actions include spending £8m to bolster manual checks and recruit additional clerks and administrative staff.
- Over 6,000 key staff have received foreign national offender training since the beginning of this year.
- A Digital Justice Board will be established shortly.
- Up to £50 million is invested in data foundations and developing Justice ID.
- Biometric fingerprint and facial recognition trials are expected within six months.
- From April 2025 to March 2026, there have been 179 recorded releases in error from prisons.
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