Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, Davis-Jones, stated on the 6th that the frequent wrongful releases of prisoners in British prisons have created "chaos" within the current prison system, highlighting a long-standing management crisis.
Official British data shows that in the 12 months ending March 2025, there were 262 wrongful releases of prisoners in the UK, a number that has been on the rise for several consecutive years.
Recently, a series of wrongful releases has brought the problems to a head. The unexpected release of Hadoush Geberslasi Kebatu, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, while serving his sentence, has sparked public outrage. Kebatu had been convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl and another woman; his release triggered protests and fueled anti-immigrant demonstrations.
Just days earlier, two other prisoners were wrongfully released, including an Algerian man listed on the sex offenders register. This series of events has once again raised public concerns about the British prison management system.
British government data shows that the number of prisoners in England and Wales has doubled in the past 30 years, with prisons operating beyond capacity for a long time. Current prison capacity is nearing saturation. In response, the British government has introduced measures such as early release of prisoners and expansion of the "deportation first, appeal later" scheme in an attempt to alleviate prison pressure.
Davis Jones attributes the current problem to the previous Conservative government's 14-year period of "public service austerity and underinvestment," pointing out that the failure to expand prison facilities in a timely manner was one of the root causes, and that the current government is working to address this issue. She also emphasized that the government will expedite the repatriation process for foreign prisoners to prevent them from staying in British prisons for extended periods.
British media believe that the series of failures in the British prison system not only reflects management loopholes but also exposes deep-seated contradictions in the allocation of public service resources. Without systemic reforms, similar incidents will be difficult to avoid. (End)
