"It is always perilous for a government when it clearly lacks grip on an issue voters would reasonably expect it to be in control of. The stand out example of this in recent years has been the arrival of migrants on small boats. From Rishi Sunak's promise to "stop the boats" to Sir Keir Starmer's promise to "smash the gangs" both have been found wanting and the problem remains huge."
"According to government figures published in July, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March of this year - a 128% increase on 115 in the previous 12 months. In other words, it has been a problem for some time, and it is getting worse. And, context is everything in politics: This row now comes after the mistaken release of perhaps the most high profile prisoner jailed this year."
"Hadush Kebatu, who arrived in the UK on a small boat, was jailed after sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while living in an asylum hotel in Epping in Essex, only to be let out by accident. He has since been deported. It gave the issue of accidental releases from prison a salience and prominence it hadn't had until then."
The justice system is palpably and repeatedly failing, with measures intended to prevent accidental prisoner releases not working. Government figures show 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March, a 128% increase from 115 the previous year. The mistaken release of high-profile offenders, including Hadush Kebatu and Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, heightened public concern and political embarrassment. Ministers used strong language, with the Home Secretary calling small-boat arrivals "shameful" and the Justice Secretary "absolutely outraged" while officials worked overnight to return a released offender to custody. The problem predates these incidents and is worsening.
Read at www.bbc.com
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