- A total of 179 prisoners, including sex offenders, were wrongly released in England and Wales between April 2025 and March 2026.
- High-profile cases, such as that of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu, highlighted the issue, leading to significant police costs for recapture.
- An independent inquiry by Dame Lynne Owens found blunders were due to a "broken system," citing sentence miscalculations, mistaken identity, and poor communication.
- The report made 33 recommendations, accepted by the government, including a new investigation process, increased use of body-worn video, upgraded CCTV, and phasing out paper records.
- Justice Secretary David Lammy pledged to reduce errors to "as close to zero as possible," announcing the rollout of digital and biometric systems and an £82 million investment to modernise the prison system.
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