Accidental prisoner releases represent a “significant operational failure” but there is “no silver bullet” to improve safety, the government has been warned.
The intervention from the Prison Governors Association (PGA) comes after the mistaken release of two prisoners from HMP Wandsworth.
Fraudster William Smith, 35, and Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian man and registered sex offender, were mistakenly released on 3 November and 29 October, respectively.
Smith has now turned himself in, but Kaddour-Cherif remains at large.
The latest development comes only days after migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was accidentally freed from HMP Chelmsford on 24 October, before being apprehended two days later.
Now the government is facing criticism for its handling of the situation, with Tory peer and former Justice Minister Michael Gove saying his Labour successor, David Lammy, “doesn’t really command the confidence” of the criminal justice system.
In its statement, the PGA warned accidental prison releases were “neither rare nor hidden”.
Government figures show 262 prisoners were released in error during the 12 months ending in March 2025.
The data represents a 128% increase on the previous year, when 115 prisoners were mistakenly freed.
In some cases, inmates were released too early; in others too late.
“Both scenarios carry serious consequences and undermine public confidence,” the PGA warned.
According to current figures, 0.5% of prisoners are released on the incorrect date.
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The association argued: “While that may appear to be a small percentage… it does represent a significant operational failure.
“The conditions required to reduce this figure to zero simply do not exist.
“Achieving a zero-error outcome would demand substantial investment in staff training, modern IT infrastructure, and recruitment, all within a system already stretched by competing priorities.
“Successive governments have accepted this level of risk for decades.
“In that context, it feels disingenuous to see politicians attempt to extract political gain from a prison system in crisis.”
The PGA also sounded the alarm about growing levels of extreme violence – including murder – within British prisons.
Its statement read: “These are not isolated trends; they reflect a system under immense strain.
“There is no silver bullet to improve safety outcomes. What works in one prison can produce adverse effects in another.
“Austerity introduced a benchmarked prison system that levelled down resources and stripped away individualised regimes.
“This has left many establishments without the flexibility they need to respond to local challenges.
“While political parties showboat and grandstand, the real risk to the public is not being effectively managed.”
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A manhunt is now under way for Kaddour-Cherif.
Responding to the situation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said “one mistaken release is one too many” and called the case “utterly unacceptable”.
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Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy has vowed to introduce enhanced checks on prisoner releases.
Further reforms proposed under the Sentencing Bill would limit the use of short sentences and release some criminals earlier, in a bid to address overcrowding in prisons.
But police chiefs have warned such measures could see crime rising by up to 6%.
