Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health provision for people in prisons.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Chief Medical Officer’s report on the health of people in prison, on probation and in the secure National Health Service estate in England was published on 6 November 2025 and we are carefully considering its findings and recommendations.
Healthcare services in the prison estate are commissioned by NHS England. All prison healthcare providers are commissioned and contracted to use National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Every prison in England has onsite healthcare teams providing primary care, mental health, dentistry, and substance misuse services. As part of the formal prisoner induction process, all prisoners undergo health screening that incorporates a mental health assessment. The secondary care mental health assessment is carried out by a mental health professional. Routine assessments are carried out within five working days. Where an individual is in a state of mental health crisis, presents with rapidly escalating needs, or is at risk of immediate harm to themselves or others, an urgent assessment should be undertaken within 48 hours.
NHS England commissions health needs assessments across the prison estate to determine the needs of the prison population and is updating all 19 health and justice service specifications by March 2026 to ensure it continues to meet those needs while assessing opportunities to improve healthcare in prisons.
Asked by: Robert Jenrick (Reform UK - Newark)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) murderers and (b) prisoners with a history of attacking prison officers are in open prisons for which the latest data is available.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
As of 30 September 2025, there were 266 prisoners with an index offence of murder in prisons whose predominant function is open in England and Wales.
Information on the number of prisoners in the open estate with a history of attacking prison officers could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
The decision to categorise a prisoner at Category D, indicating suitability to be placed in open conditions, involves a thorough risk assessment that takes into account the prisoner’s individual circumstances, including the nature of the offence and any risk they present to the public. In the case of a prisoner serving a sentence of imprisonment for life, or for public protection, the assessment takes account of advice from the independent Parole Board.
Note: The figure has been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of a) rehabilitation and b) reoffending reduction policies for individuals convicted of immigration-related offences.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The rehabilitation pathway an individual takes, including for individuals convicted of immigration-related offences, is determined by their assessed risk and needs, ensuring interventions are targeted and proportionate.
The Ministry of Justice’s Reducing Reoffending Evidence Synthesis (2025) provides a comprehensive overview of what works to reduce reoffending. The report highlights key factors influencing the likelihood of reoffending, and we are investing in a range of interventions to address these needs and support rehabilitation. This includes accommodation, employment and substance misuse treatment services, including key employment roles in 93 prisons (such as Prison Employment Leads) and Incentivised Substance-Free Living units (ISFLs) in 85 prisons. Depending on the specific risks and needs of the offender, a range of accredited programmes, designed to address offending behaviour, are also available.
The proportion of adults released with an ongoing substance misuse need who engage in treatment within 3 weeks of release increased from 38% in April 2021 to 53% in November 2025. Similarly, employment rates six months after release from prison for those sentenced to 12 months or more have increased from 15% in 20/21 to 38% in 24/25.
Asked by: Pam Cox (Labour - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners have been released with a resettlement passport in each month since their introduction.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Government is committed to ensuring individuals have plans in place before release, identifying needs early, and linking people to the right support, such as housing, employment, and health services, to help reduce reoffending. No prisoners have left with a resettlement passport as formal introduction of a digital tool is yet to take place. However, development work has marked important progress in testing approaches to improve pre-release planning across the estate.
This testing, carried out in ten prisons and four probation regions, has gathered valuable insight and learning throughout, including a comprehensive understanding of current practice and identification of gaps and opportunities in service delivery. It has also provided insight relevant to ARNS (Assess, Risks, Needs and Strengths), supporting its development as part of HMPPS’s wider digital transformation strategy. ARNS is designed to modernise offender assessments by moving towards a more dynamic, collaborative, and strength-based approach to resettlement planning, offender management, and risk assessment.
These findings will feed into work to improve the operational processes to support preparation for release, to support delivery of recommendations from the Independent Review of Sentencing.
Asked by: Pam Cox (Labour - Colchester)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made to introduce resettlement passports for prison leavers.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Government is committed to ensuring individuals have plans in place before release, identifying needs early, and linking people to the right support, such as housing, employment, and health services, to help reduce reoffending. No prisoners have left with a resettlement passport as formal introduction of a digital tool is yet to take place. However, development work has marked important progress in testing approaches to improve pre-release planning across the estate.
This testing, carried out in ten prisons and four probation regions, has gathered valuable insight and learning throughout, including a comprehensive understanding of current practice and identification of gaps and opportunities in service delivery. It has also provided insight relevant to ARNS (Assess, Risks, Needs and Strengths), supporting its development as part of HMPPS’s wider digital transformation strategy. ARNS is designed to modernise offender assessments by moving towards a more dynamic, collaborative, and strength-based approach to resettlement planning, offender management, and risk assessment.
These findings will feed into work to improve the operational processes to support preparation for release, to support delivery of recommendations from the Independent Review of Sentencing.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to early release schemes on the accuracy of release date calculations.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address issues including release in error and unlawful detention.
This includes the establishment of an Urgent Warrant Query Unit supported by court experts so prisons can escalate queries to reduce the risk of release in error. We have also stood up a digital rapid response unit to reduce human error with cutting-edge technology. We will provide up to £10 million over the next 6 months to deliver AI and technology-based solutions to support frontline staff, helping to avoid mistakes and calculate sentence accurately.
We are also simplifying release policy; one of the aims of the Sentencing Bill is to standardise how cases are treated.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of the prisoners mistakenly released since April 2025 were convicted of violent, sexual or other serious offences; and what assessment he has made of the danger to the public posed by those still at large.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. The safety of the public is our absolute priority.
While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, any release in error is treated with utmost seriousness and we are clamping down on those that do occur. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue. As soon as an error is identified, we immediately assess the individual’s risk and work closely with the police to ensure swift action. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.
Totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, with the latest available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK, which provides data up to March 2025. These include information on the principal offence group of those released.
A further transparency ad hoc publication, available via Releases_in_Error_from_1_April_2025_to_31_October_2025.pdf, also covers the number of releases in error from 1 April 2025 to 31 October 2025. Further breakdowns of this data cannot be provided at this time because they would give an early indication of future Official Statistics.
Offender Management Units play a vital role in our prisons, including processing prisoner releases. Prisons are encouraged to fill vacancies promptly, with the Department providing support on best practice in recruitment. We are also rolling out technology-based upgrades to assist frontline staff, helping to reduce human error.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of staff shortages in offender management units on errors in calculating prisoners release dates.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. The safety of the public is our absolute priority.
While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, any release in error is treated with utmost seriousness and we are clamping down on those that do occur. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue. As soon as an error is identified, we immediately assess the individual’s risk and work closely with the police to ensure swift action. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.
Totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, with the latest available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK, which provides data up to March 2025. These include information on the principal offence group of those released.
A further transparency ad hoc publication, available via Releases_in_Error_from_1_April_2025_to_31_October_2025.pdf, also covers the number of releases in error from 1 April 2025 to 31 October 2025. Further breakdowns of this data cannot be provided at this time because they would give an early indication of future Official Statistics.
Offender Management Units play a vital role in our prisons, including processing prisoner releases. Prisons are encouraged to fill vacancies promptly, with the Department providing support on best practice in recruitment. We are also rolling out technology-based upgrades to assist frontline staff, helping to reduce human error.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of the scale of erroneous prisoner releases on public confidence and public safety.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. The safety of the public is our absolute priority.
While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, any release in error is treated with utmost seriousness and we are clamping down on those that do occur. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue. As soon as an error is identified, we immediately assess the individual’s risk and work closely with the police to ensure swift action. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.
Totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, with the latest available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK, which provides data up to March 2025. These include information on the principal offence group of those released.
A further transparency ad hoc publication, available via Releases_in_Error_from_1_April_2025_to_31_October_2025.pdf, also covers the number of releases in error from 1 April 2025 to 31 October 2025. Further breakdowns of this data cannot be provided at this time because they would give an early indication of future Official Statistics.
Offender Management Units play a vital role in our prisons, including processing prisoner releases. Prisons are encouraged to fill vacancies promptly, with the Department providing support on best practice in recruitment. We are also rolling out technology-based upgrades to assist frontline staff, helping to reduce human error.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons regarding release date errors at HMP Pentonville.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government.
The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected and on 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address the issue.
Work is already underway to address the areas identified for improvement by the Inspectorate. This includes establishing a specialist headquarters team to provide guidance to prisons to mitigate the risk of early or late releases, which is actively supporting HMP Pentonville as part of the Urgent Notification response.