Prisoner held beyond their release date for several months due to system error.

The Ombudsman has published a summary statement about an own initiative investigation of the Department for Correctional Services.

The Ombudsman’s investigation found that the department held a prisoner in custody several months beyond their sentence release date in breach of the Correctional Services Act and international human rights standards. The department also failed to advise the prisoner of the error, and the Ombudsman found that that this was inconsistent with human rights standards and the reasonable expectations of the community.

The Ombudsman made several recommendations aimed at improving practices regarding the release of prisoners and procedures where prisoners are held longer than their sentence. A recommendation was also made that the department consider making an ex-gratia payment to the prisoner.

View the summary statement here: Summary Statement of Investigation about the Department for Correctional Services (2025/03144) (PDF, 223.7 KB)