David Lammy says 12 more prisoners have been mistakenly released
Independent3 days
103 Prisoners Mistakenly Released in England and Wales
Is the government fixing a broken system with investment and reforms, or is an overstretched prison collapsing?
Above: A prison van leaves HMP Wandsworth on Nov. 6, 2025. Image credit: Carl Court/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
The government is taking decisive action to fix a broken prison system through a £10 million investment in AI technology, new oversight boards, and streamlined processes to fix a release error crisis inherited from the previous government. Expanding community sentences and earned progression will cut reoffending more effectively than short prison terms and free up prison space to improve the current system.
Government-critical narrative
The British prison system stands close to breaking point, with mistaken releases skyrocketing from 50 annually to 262 last year due to overcrowding and overstretched staff. An overcomplicated sentencing framework forces inexperienced officers to manually calculate release dates while managing facilities at 157% capacity. This crisis has exposed how dangerous offenders slip through the system.
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© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0