Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released in error in each of the last 10 years.

A release in error may occur from prison or from court. A prisoner is released in error if they are released earlier than their correct release date. They will be unlawfully at large until they are returned to custody, unless they are subsequently released correctly.

Releases in error are rare and the vast majority are returned to custody very quickly. We work closely with the police to recapture offenders at large and investigate each of these incidents thoroughly to see what lessons can be learned.

Please find below the number of prisoners released in error in England and Wales, since 2010. The data is the 12 months ending March 2010 to 12 months ending March 2020.