James Wild MP has pressed Justice Ministers on how many wrongly released prisoners remain at large, and why it is still taking days for police to be told when offenders are released in error.
New Ministry of Justice data shows that 179 prisoners were released in error in England and Wales between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. Combined with the 262 cases recorded the previous year, that means 441 prisoners were wrongly released over the last two years.
With official reports pointing to serious failings, including sentence miscalculations, misplaced warrants, recall notices not acted on, and errors at the point of final discharge, James challenged ministers on the scale of the failure and the risk it poses to public safety.
Speaking in the House of Commons, James Wild MP said:
“Despite implementing what the Justice Secretary said were the strongest ever checks, every week criminals are being given a ‘Get out of jail free’ card.
“How many of those 441 prisoners, wrongly let out of prison on Labour’s watch, remain at large, and why is it still taking days for the Prison Service to let the police know when it has wrongly released people?”
