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"The mistaken release of a sex offender who was set to be deported exposes the staffing pressures at the heart of Britain's prisons crisis. A senior prison employee told the BBC that Hadush Kebatu's accidental release was down to a series of mistakes, probably because staff are overworked and in short supply. Prison overcrowding has become a serious political and societal issue."
"But while prison places are increasing with the construction of new prisons, staffing is not keeping pace. In 2019, there were roughly 3.7 prisoners per officer; in 2022, there were 3.8 prisoners per officer and in 2025, there were 3.9 prisoners per officer. Between August 2022 and August 2025, the prison population increased by more than 6,000 prisoners yet the number of prison officers grew by only around 1,000."
The Independent seeks donations to fund on-the-ground reporting, investigative work and documentaries while keeping content free of paywalls. The mistaken release of a sex offender set for deportation highlights staffing pressures in Britain’s prisons, with a senior employee attributing the error to overworked, short-staffed teams. Prison overcrowding has intensified as new prison places are added but staffing lags. Prisoner-to-officer ratios rose from about 3.7 in 2019 to 3.9 in 2025. Between August 2022 and August 2025 the prisoner population grew by over 6,000 while officer numbers rose by only about 1,000. High turnover saw 2,823 officers leave in the year to June 2025, many with under three years’ service.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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