Advertisement
News

Prisoners released by mistake show a system in chaos

The latest Ministry of Justice figures show 71 offenders were freed in error and violence in the prison estate is at an all-time-high

According to new figures revealed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), 71 inmates were released from prison by mistake over the past year – more than one a week.

It marks the highest number of people released in error since the figures began to be gathered a decade ago, and helps paints a picture of a penal system in chaos.

The Liberal Democrats accused the government of losing control over the prison estate.

The offenders in question are considered to have been mistakenly released if they are discharged from prison or court when they are supposed to remain in custody. But the MoJ said these released offenders would, “depending on the circumstances,” not necessarily be “actively pursued for return to custody.”

The strange errors aside, the latest annual statistical release by the MoJ makes for grim reading. There has been a record 26,643 assaults in prisons across England and Wales over the past year.

And an all-time-high in attacks on prison staff – 7,159 assaults over the course of 2016/17. This includes 805 serious assaults on staff.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The government has lost control of our prisons and urgently needs to get a grip

Self-harm in prison has also reached a new high – 40,414 incidents in the 12 months to March.

“It is beyond belief that 71 potentially dangerous prisoners have been released by mistake. What should be places of rehabilitation are now dangerous hotbeds of violence, self-harm and drug abuse,” said the Liberal Democrats’ chief whip Alastair Carmichael.

“No prison guard should have to go to work in fear of being seriously assaulted while being outnumbered six to one,” Carmichael. “The government has lost control of our prisons and urgently needs to get a grip.”

The Howard League for Penal Reform said lack of staff, overcrowding and poor conditions were causing a “rising tide of violence, human misery (and) chaos.”

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

Read All
Rents in UK are rising at highest rate in decades. Will they keep going up?
rents uk
Renting

Rents in UK are rising at highest rate in decades. Will they keep going up?

'Dismay' for disabled and vulnerable households as average annual energy bills to rise to £1,738
Blue flames from a gas hob
Energy bills

'Dismay' for disabled and vulnerable households as average annual energy bills to rise to £1,738

Mum-of-three hit with 'revenge eviction' after asking for repairs: 'It felt like the end of the world'
Hazell and her three kids faced homelessness until Shelter stepped in
Renting

Mum-of-three hit with 'revenge eviction' after asking for repairs: 'It felt like the end of the world'

Malala Yousafzai on taking on the Taliban and why 'storytelling is the soul of activism'
Malala Yousafzai
Activism

Malala Yousafzai on taking on the Taliban and why 'storytelling is the soul of activism'

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue
4.

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue