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Strengthening prison releases
15 April 2026
Type
Written Ministerial Statement
Department
Ministry of Justice
At a Glance
Issue Summary
The statement addresses the issue of mistaken prisoner [K releases and outlines steps to address recommendations from Dame Lynne Owen [4D [K Owens' Independent Review.
Action Requested
The government is committing up to £82 million over [K this Spending Review period to implement recommendations, including simplif [7D [K simplifying processes, increasing digitalisation, enhancing communication w [1D [K with victims, and investing in Justice ID technology. Immediate actions inc [3D [K include bolstering manual checks and training staff, while medium-term plan [4D [K plans involve biometric trials and phasing out paper records.
Key Facts
- Dame Lynne Owens submitted an Independent Review into Rel [3D [K Releases in Error.
- The government is committing up to £82 million invest [6D [K investment over this Spending Review period.
- Immediate actions include s [1D [K spending £8m to bolster manual checks and recruit additional clerks and adm [3D [K administrative staff.
- Over 6,000 key staff have received foreign nationa [7D [K national offender training since the beginning of this year.
- A Digital J [1D [K Justice Board will be established shortly.
- Up to £50 million is invested [8D [K invested in data foundations and developing Justice ID.
- Biometric finger [6D [K fingerprint and facial recognition trials are expected within six months.
- [9D [K months.
- From April 2025 to March 2026, there have been 179 recorded rele [4D [K releases in error from prisons.
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