In recent years, the English courts have reached seemingly contradictory decisions with respect to the rights of convicted prisoners to sue for false imprisonment when they are detained beyond their proper release date. This article examines those decisions- focusing, in particular, on the most recent case in this area- and concludes that, as the law currently stands, the rules governing this aspect of tort law are both arbitrary and unfair. The article also considers the likelihood or otherwise of actions by similarly aggrieved prisoners succeeding in Singapore.