Britain: 12 prisoners mistakenly released in recent weeks, two still at large.

British Justice Minister David Lammy announced today that 12 prisoners have been mistakenly released in the past three weeks, two of whom are still at large. Lammy explained that these prisoners are in addition to 91 others who were mistakenly released between April and last October in England and Wales, noting that the errors are due to the use of the paper system in prison management, and that the situation will improve after the full transition to the digital system. The minister confirmed in his interview with ITV that the two prisoners at large do not belong to perpetrators of violent or sexual crimes, stressing that the government has taken additional security measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur. This announcement came after the case of the release of Ethiopian citizen Hadush Gerberselassie Kibatu, accused of sexual assault, sparked widespread controversy about wrongful releases. This incident was followed by other cases, including the release of William Smith and Ibrahim Qaddour Sharif, before the latter two were re-arrested. Reports indicated that the number of prisoners mistakenly released increased by 128% last year, from 115 cases in 2023-2024 to 262 cases the following year, prompting authorities to strengthen security monitoring and inspection systems in prisons.