Nearly 200 prisoners were mistakenly released across England and Wales over the past year, according to new data from the Ministry of Justice.
The figures show that 179 inmates were freed in error between April 2025 and March 2026, with officials citing causes such as misplaced warrants, miscalculated sentences, and administrative errors by courts and other authorities.
The issue has drawn attention following several high-profile incidents. In one case, Hadush Kebatu was wrongly released instead of being transferred to an immigration detention centre and was later spotted travelling through London, triggering a manhunt. Two other inmates, Brahim Kaddour-Cherif and William Smith, were also mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth but have since been returned to custody.
The incidents have prompted criticism of the justice system and increased scrutiny of procedures under Justice Secretary David Lammy.
The Ministry of Justice explained that such errors can result from administrative oversights, adding that prisoners are not considered to have committed an offence if they were unaware of the mistake and made no effort to evade authorities.
However, it noted that cases involving deliberate manipulation—such as assuming another person’s identity—would be treated as escapes rather than administrative errors.
In response, the government has pledged to strengthen prison release procedures to prevent similar incidents, amid growing concerns about the reliability of current systems.
