Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released from prison in error in each year since 2010.

Information on releases in error are published as part of the HM Prison and Probation Service Annual Digest. The latest publication can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-hm-prison-and-probation-service-digest-2017-to-2018. Data for 2010 - 2018 is included within the Chapter 1 table: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/729465/01-escapes-absconds.xlsx' in table 1.22

Releases in error are rare and in the vast majority of cases offenders are returned to custody very quickly

We work closely with the police to recapture those at large and investigate each incident thoroughly to see what lessons can be learned.