More than 90 prisoners were mistakenly released in the United Kingdom between April and October this year, according to new figures published by the British Ministry of Justice.
The data, covering the period from April 1 to October 31, was released amid growing public criticism over such "mistaken" releases following several high-profile cases in recent weeks.
Justice Secretary David Lammy told members of Parliament that the figures "show a prison system under immense pressure," adding that the Labour government had inherited the crisis from the previous Conservative administration.
According to the ministry's latest annual report, 262 prisoners in England and Wales were mistakenly released in the 12 months ending in March, an increase of 128% compared to 115 cases the previous year. Of those, 87 prisoners had been convicted of violent offenses, and three had been serving sentences for sexual crimes.
The Justice Ministry said the figures include any prisoner who was freed despite being meant to remain in custody, provided that neither the individual nor a third party acted with criminal intent to escape.
