Over 100 prisoners mistakenly released in England and Wales in last nine months

There has been a large increase from previous years

Meanwhile, since April 2024, roughly 365 prisoners have been released mistakenly from prisons in England and Wales, with accidental releases skyrocketing in recent years.

Official numbers from the government website show that between April 2024 and March 2025, 262 prisoners were released in error, a 128% increase.

Between 2006/07 and 2022/23, the average number of mistaken releases sat at 56 per year.

This average increase to 69 per year from 2019/2020 up to 2023/24.

On top of this, since April 2025, 91 prisoners have been mistakenly freed, as confirmed by deputy PM and justice secretary David Lammy last month.

Finally, it was revealed today that 12 more prisoners have been accidently released from jail, with two still at large, taking the total since April 2025 to 103.

Speaking to the BBC, Lammy claimed that there would always be an aspect of "human error" as long as jails were employing a paper-based system

He added that the situation would improve once a "completely digital system" was brought in.

Meanwhile, Lammy said there had been "a spike" in accidental releases but claimed it was now on "a downward trajectory".

He added: "I want to bring it down but we have got a mountain to climb."