Nearly 200 Inmates Mistakenly Released in England and Wales Over Past Year

New data released by the Ministry of Justice indicates that close to 200 prisoners were mistakenly released from jails in England and Wales within the last year.

The figures show a total of 179 inmates were set free in error during the period spanning April 2025 to March 2026. Officials have cited factors like lost warrants, errors in calculating sentences, and administrative mistakes made by courts and other relevant bodies as reasons for these releases.

These statistics emerge in the wake of several notable incidents. One such case involved Hadush Kebatu, who was inadvertently released instead of being sent to an immigration detention facility. His subsequent sighting in London led to a manhunt after the error was discovered.

The situation prompted criticism of the justice system and brought increased scrutiny to the procedures overseen by Justice Secretary David Lammy. Further examples include two other prisoners, identified as Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and William Smith, who were also wrongly released from HMP Wandsworth but have since been apprehended and returned to custody.

The Ministry of Justice clarified that "release in error" can stem from various administrative oversights. However, the department also stated that individuals are not deemed to have committed a new offence if they were unaware of the mistake and did not attempt to evade authorities.

According to the department, "If the person released is not aware of the error and makes no attempt to evade arrest, then they have committed no additional offence and in that sense, they may not be at fault."

Nevertheless, the Ministry added that if a prisoner is found to have intentionally manipulated the circumstances, for instance, by assuming another individual's identity, such an event would be classified as an escape rather than an error. In response to these occurrences, the government has committed to reinforcing prison release protocols to prevent future mistakes, amid growing concerns about the dependability of current processes.