Government Response to Independent Review into Releases in Error
Summary
The UK Ministry of Justice has published its formal response to Dame Lynne Owens' Independent Review into Releases in Error. The government accepts all recommendations in principle, committing up to £82 million in investment over the Spending Review period to address prisoner release errors. The response focuses on three themes: improving victim communication, modernising systems through digitalization and AI, and simplifying court and prison processes to reduce sentence calculation errors.
What changed
The government has formally responded to Dame Lynne Owens' Independent Review into Releases in Error, which examined the mistaken release of Mr Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford and wider causes of releases in error. The response accepts all 46 recommendations in principle, with those within the current Spending Review period being taken forward immediately. £82 million of investment will support delivery across three key themes.
Affected parties including prison authorities, courts, and victim liaison services should prepare for changes to sentence calculation processes, enhanced victim communication protocols, and potential integration of AI tools to reduce human error. The government aims to reduce release errors to pre-prison capacity crisis levels and drive toward zero errors in coming years.
What to do next
- Monitor implementation of recommendations
- Review internal prisoner release processes
- Assess digitalization and AI integration requirements
Archived snapshot
Apr 15, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Policy paper
Response to the Independent Review into Releases in Error
The government response to Dame Lynne Owens’ Independent Review into Releases in Error.
From: Ministry of Justice Published 15 April 2026 Get emails about this page
Documents
Written ministerial statement: government response to Dame Lynne Owens' independent review into releases in error
PDF, 179 KB, 8 pages
Independent review into releases in error: a report for the Deputy Prime Minister
PDF, 2.9 MB, 202 pages
Releases in error: policy overview
Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-6361-8, CP 1552
HTML
Releases in error: policy overview
Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-6361-8, CP 1552
PDF, 320 KB, 15 pages
Details
This document sets out the government’s response to the Independent Review into Releases in Error. In November 2025, the Deputy Prime Minister set out a national five-point plan, which included commissioning Dame Lynne Owens, former Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and former Director General of the National Crime Agency, to undertake an independent review into the mistaken release of Mr Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford, alongside the wider causes of releases in error, and to make recommendations to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
The government response acknowledges Dame Lynne’s report, and the thorough nature of the review. It responds to the report’s findings and recommendations, accepting all in principle, with those falling within the current Spending Review period being taken forward now and further action committed, subject to future funding decisions. It also outlines progress already made against the five-point plan, as well as outlining action underway to address releases in error and act on the recommendations.
This includes how the government will deliver on its plan to drive down the number of errors to pre-prison capacity crisis levels, and drive them down year-on-year, with the ultimate ambition to get as close to zero as possible in the coming years. The government’s approach is supported by up to £82 million of investment over this Spending Review period, and underpinned by three key themes:
- improving communication with victims when a release in error occurs
- modernising systems through digitalisation and harnessing AI tools to reduce error and improve reliability
- simplification of processes across courts and prisons to reduce the risk of sentence calculations
Updates to this page
Published 15 April 2026
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