Dozens of prisoners in Scotland have been released early by mistake or detained for too long, new figures show.
Data obtained by The Courier shows that in the three years leading up to November, 11 prisoners had been liberated in error from prisons in Scotland.
Meanwhile, 60 prisoners have been detained in error across Scotland since 2018, meaning they were held longer than they should have been.
One of these prisoners was released by mistake from HMP Perth in 2018/19, while three people were detained longer than they should have been at the same prison in 2020/21.
Public protection concern
The number of prisoners held for longer than they should have been decreased from 26 in 2018/19 to 15 the following year.
But that number rose to 19 in the year leading up to November 2021.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Prison Service has told The Courier that errors are often limited to only one or two days, and mainly due to a result of complicated calculations about a prisoner’s release date.
While the numbers here are not large, this demonstrates the need for extra care in our prisons.”
Murdo Fraser MSP
The prison service also says that inmates can be serving multiple sentences at one time, or have their sentence changed by courts, further complicating matters.
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser, who represents the Mid Scotland and Fife region, said: “While the numbers here are not large, this demonstrates the need for extra care in our prisons when assessing individuals for release.
“The public must be protected, and could be put at risk if someone is released early in error.”
