Correctional Facilities Cannot Be Resolved Immediately, Minister States, as Law Enforcement Hunt For Two Men Incorrectly Released
Opposition justice spokesperson Robert Jenrick has described the circumstances as a "total mess," commenting earlier today.
Speaking during a radio program, he pointed to comments made by David Lammy after a recent inmate discharge, saying that Lammy would establish stricter checks.
"It took almost a week for the prison service reportedly to realize this occurred" and inform the police, the shadow official explains, "leaving them a week behind in the manhunt to locate him."
The shadow minister condemns Lammy's handling during recent PMQs and accuses him of a "total dereliction of duty."
Addressing mistaken prison releases more generally, Jenrick underlines that "every single mistaken discharge [...] is unacceptable."
He acknowledges there were similar incidents under the previous Conservative government, but says the figure "has risen significantly" under Labour.
Calling for more prisons to be constructed, he adds: "The public want to see now are adequate safeguards put in place."
"That is a specific bureaucratic error by the Ministry of Justice overseen by the minister," the opposition member says.
- A timeline detailing how the most recent mistaken prisoner release unfolded is accessible through official channels.
