A pair of sex offenders have been released from jail early under controversial measures to free up space in overcrowded jails.
Ministry of Justice figures showed the two sex criminals were freed up to 18 days early in February.
The department said the pair were serving less than six months for "minor sexual offences" and were therefore eligible for the End of Custody Licence (ECL) scheme.
Last week, Justice Secretary Jack Straw was forced to amend the scheme after it emerged that two convicted terrorists had been freed early.
By the end of February, 21,041 prisoners had been freed on ECL since it was introduced at the end of June last year.
It included 3,951 convicted of violence against the person, 462 robbers and 1,916 burglars.
During February, 31 offenders released on ECL were recalled to jail because they were suspected of committing new offences.
Since the scheme began a total of 745 have been recalled, and 133 of those are on the run.
Shadow justice secretary Nick Herbert said: "Ministers said those convicted of serious sexual or violent crimes would be ineligible for early release. We have now learnt that almost 4,000 violent offenders - plus terrorists and sex offenders - have been released."
He added: "A Government which releases 30,000 criminals early because it has failed to provide enough prison places shows how far it has lost touch with public concern about crime. This disastrous scheme must be scrapped immediately."
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