Prisoners' Release
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of the prisoners released in error since July 2024 (i) were returned to prison and (ii) remain at large.
Answered by Jake Richards
Annual totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via Prison and Probation Performance Statistics - GOV.UK , and currently provide data up to March 2025. A further transparency data report was also published on the 15 April 2026 which was extracted from a live operational reporting system and available via: Releases_in_Error_from_1_April_2025_to_31_March_2026.pdf.
As with any data extracted from administrative systems, it is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to revision if the underlying data changes. The annual verified data for 2025-26 is due for publication in July 2026.
Where an individual is deemed unlawfully at large and subject to rearrest any information held on such cases is used for prison and police operational purposes, rather than as part of a routine, quality-assured statistical collection, and is therefore not included in published statistics.
A joint protocol between His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and the National Police Chief's Council is in place to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error and therefore unlawfully at large. The protocol sets out steps to rearrest the individuals as quickly as possible and further work is underway on this to enhance victim communication.
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