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<p>Releases in error are taken very seriously and action has been taken to tighten
processes and focus managers' attention in this area. Releases in error are infrequent
and all incidents are subject to investigation.The majority of prisoners released
in error are returned to custody quickly. In the 12 months to September 2013 there
were 46 releases in error from prison, which equated to 0.06% of all discharges from
prison. This compares to 68 in 2009-10.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the number
of prisoners who have not subsequently returned to custody following a release in
error from prison between May 2010 and September 2013 and broken down by the security
category recorded on the National Offender Management Information System. This information
is accurate as of 4 March 2014.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1 Number of prisoners
not subsequently returned to custody following release in error from prison between
May 2010 and September 2013, by category</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Category</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Category
C</p></td><td><p>13</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Female (Closed)</p></td><td><p>3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Uncategorised</p></td><td><p>8</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>It is important to note that not all prisoners released in error will be unlawfully
at large and subject to recall. For example, they may be unconvicted prisoners released
in error whose cases have been concluded since their release without a custodial sentence.</p><p>
</p><p><em>These figures have been drawn from live administrative data systems which
may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the
returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large
scale recording system. </em></p><p> </p><p><em>The number of releases in error may
change should further incidents be reported.</em></p><p> </p><p>The number of absconds
has come down sharply from a level of 947 in 2002-3 to 204 in 2012-13.</p><p> </p><p>Table
2 provides a breakdown of the number of absconds, by month between May 2010 and March
2013. Table 3 shows the number of absconders still unlawfully at large, by category,
having absconded between May 2010 and March 2013. It is not possible to provide details
of absconds by category of prisoner. The category of prisoner at time of release in
error is not recorded in incident reports and live data shows details of the current
security category only; it has therefore only been possible to provide the category
of those who are currently unlawfully at large (table 3). Prisoners held in immigration
removal centres are not subject to security categorisation. Over 97% of prisoners
who abscond are re-captured and returned to custody. On re-capture the prisoner will
be returned to a closed prison and referred to the police for consideration for prosecution
for having been unlawfully at large.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 2 Number
of absconds between May 2010 and March 2013, by month </strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Month</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number
of absconds</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 10</p></td><td><p>23</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June
10</p></td><td><p>21</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July 10</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>August
10</p></td><td><p>25</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September 10</p></td><td><p>28</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>October
10</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>November 10</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>December
10</p></td><td><p>23</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January 11</p></td><td><p>11</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>February
11</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>March 11</p></td><td><p>14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>April
11</p></td><td><p>8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 11</p></td><td><p>12</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June
11</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July 11</p></td><td><p>13</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>August
11</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September 11</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>October
11</p></td><td><p>19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>November 11</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>December
11</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January 12</p></td><td><p>9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>February
12</p></td><td><p>12</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>March 12</p></td><td><p>20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>April
12</p></td><td><p>21</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 12</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>June
12</p></td><td><p>17</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July 12</p></td><td><p>20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>August
12</p></td><td><p>23</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>September 12</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>October
12</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>November 12</p></td><td><p>12</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>December
12</p></td><td><p>20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January 13</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>February
13</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>March 13</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p><strong>Table 3 Number of prisoners unlawfully at large following abscond between
May 2010 and March 2013, by category</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Category</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>D</p></td><td><p>16</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Not
categorised</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><em>These figures
have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any
time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail
collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
</em></p><p> </p><p>Escapes from transit include escapes from Prison Service and Contractor
Escorts. The majority of escorts take place without incident and escapes whilst in
transit are rare; there have been 10 since May 2010. This should be seen in relation
to the 871,802 prisoners handled by the escort service in 2012-13 alone.</p><p> </p><p>Table
4 shows the number of escapes in transit, in each month between May 2010 and March
2013. All these prisoners have subsequently been recaptured.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table
4 Month and category of prisoners who escaped in transit between May 2010 and March
2013</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Month</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Category</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May
10</p></td><td><p>Uncategorised</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>May 11</p></td><td><p>Cat
B</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July 11</p></td><td><p>Uncategorised</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July
11</p></td><td><p>Uncategorised</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>August 11</p></td><td><p>Uncategorised</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>December
11</p></td><td><p>Uncategorised</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January 12</p></td><td><p>Uncategorised</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>January
12</p></td><td><p>Potential Category A</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>October 12</p></td><td><p>Uncategorised</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>November12</p></td><td><p>Uncategorised</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p> </p><p>The number of both escapes and absconds have reduced significantly
in recent years. Figures for the number of escapes and absconds since 1995 are provided
in the Prison Digest contained in the Prison and Probation Trusts Performance Statistics.
This can be found at</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225234/prison-performance-digest-12-13.xls"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225234/prison-performance-digest-12-13.xls</a></p><p>
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