Every prisoner accidentally freed under Government's early release scheme is back behind bars
30 October 2024, 21:54
Every prisoner who was accidentally freed as part of the Government's early release scheme is back behind bars, a minister has confirmed.
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September saw 37 criminals released in error as Labour desperately attempted to free up prison space in the wake of the summer riots.
The prisoners had been ineligible for the scheme, but were set free because their offences for breaching restraining orders were incorrectly logged under repealed legislation.
This meant their cases were not flagged for exemptions, which were designed to prevent those guilty of certain types of crime from being released.
Justice minister Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede told the House of Lords last week: "All prisoners who were released in error under the first tranche of releases are now back behind bars."
The individuals were released in error on 10 September because their offences were wrongly logged under outdated legislation.
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A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said at the time: “Public safety is our first priority. That is why we took decisive action to fix the broken prison system we inherited and keep the most dangerous offenders locked up. This included blocking the early release of domestic abuse offences such as stalking and controlling behaviour.
“We are working with the police to urgently return a very small number of offenders - who were charged incorrectly and sentenced under repealed legislation - to custody.
“The convictions remain valid with offenders monitored since their release and will soon be back behind bars."
Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick posted on Twitter: "Chaos in Downing Street. Chaos on our streets. Labour are already a complete shambles."
About 1,700 inmates were released from prisons across England and Wales on September 10, having served a minimum of 40% of their sentence, instead of the usual 50%.
Last week, a further 1,100 prisoners were released early.
Offenders serving more than five years were released on licence early, excluding those convicted of certain crimes including serious violence, sex crimes and terrorism.
