Nearly 200 prisoners were mistakenly released in England and Wales over the past year, according to new figures published by the Ministry of Justice.The data shows that 179 inmates were freed in error between April 2025 and March 2026, with officials attributing the incidents to issues such as misplaced warrants, sentence miscalculations, and administrative mistakes by courts or other authorities.The figures come after several high-profile cases. One involved Hadush Kebatu, who was accidentally released instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre. He was later seen travelling through London, prompting a manhunt after authorities realised the mistake.The incident drew criticism of the justice system and led to scrutiny of procedures under Justice Secretary David Lammy. Two other prisoners, including Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and William Smith, were also mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth but have since been returned to custody.The Ministry of Justice explained that a release in error can occur for several reasons, including administrative oversights, but noted that prisoners are not considered to have committed an additional offence if they were unaware of the mistake and did not attempt to evade authorities.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, the department said.However, it added that if a prisoner is found to have deliberately manipulated the situation, such as by assuming another persons identity, the case would be treated as an escape rather than an error. In response to the incidents, the government has pledged to tighten prison release systems to prevent further mistakes, as concerns grow over the reliability of current processes.The post Almost 200 prisoners freed from jail in UK in 2025 appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog. Almost 200 prisoners freed from jail in UK in 2025
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Nearly 200 prisoners were mistakenly released in England and Wales over the past year, according to new figures published by the Ministry of Justice.The data shows that 179 inmates were freed in error between April 2025 and March 2026, with officials attributing the incidents to issues such as misplaced warrants, sentence miscalculations, and administrative mistakes by courts or other authorities.The figures come after several high-profile cases. One involved Hadush Kebatu, who was accidentally released instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre. He was later seen travelling through London, prompting a manhunt after authorities realised the mistake.The incident drew criticism of the justice system and led to scrutiny of procedures under Justice Secretary David Lammy. Two other prisoners, including Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and William Smith, were also mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth but have since been returned to custody.The Ministry of Justice explained that a release in error can occur for several reasons, including administrative oversights, but noted that prisoners are not considered to have committed an additional offence if they were unaware of the mistake and did not attempt to evade authorities.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, the department said.However, it added that if a prisoner is found to have deliberately manipulated the situation, such as by assuming another persons identity, the case would be treated as an escape rather than an error. In response to the incidents, the government has pledged to tighten prison release systems to prevent further mistakes, as concerns grow over the reliability of current processes.The post Almost 200 prisoners freed from jail in UK in 2025 appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog. 
