Biometric checks to be rolled out in prisons after mistaken releases

Biometric checks to be rolled out in prisons after mistaken releases

The government has announced plans to implement biometric verification in prisons following the release of statistics indicating 179 individuals were incorrectly freed during the year ending March. The review highlighted that these errors were merely “one symptom of a broken system,” according to an independent assessment. Dame Lynne Owens’s inquiry was triggered by the release of Hadush Kebatu in October 2025, when he was supposed to be detained after sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman while housed in an asylum hotel in Epping.

Dame Lynne Owens, former deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, was tasked with evaluating the incident. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy emphasized that the report exposed the “unacceptable” rise in wrongful releases and that the government would “modernise the prison system” through new measures. The number of erroneous releases in England and Wales fell from 262 in the prior year to 179, yet it still surpasses the 115 reported in 2023-24.

“These errors are a clear indication of a system in disarray,” Lammy said, adding that the government would allocate £82 million to “target these errors and ensure public safety after years of disorder.” A portion of the funding, £20 million, is aimed at digitising the outdated paper-based procedures inherited from previous systems.

The Ministry of Justice explained that mistakes in release can stem from misplaced warrants, incorrect sentencing calculations, or errors by courts and other agencies. Lammy accepted all 33 recommendations from the review, including trials of fingerprint and facial recognition technologies to begin within six months. A full rollout is expected before the end of the current parliamentary session.

Lammy also expressed his “deepest condolences to the victims of those mistakenly released prisoners, particularly Hadush Kebatu’s victim,” noting that he had met with the victim’s family in December. Kebatu was initially sent to a deportation centre but was instead released from HMP Chelmsford. A major search operation followed; his arrest had prompted protests near the Bell Hotel in Epping, where he lived, over the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. Demonstrations soon spread across the country.

Two days after Kebatu’s release, it was revealed that two others had also been freed in error—both from HMP Wandsworth in London. After police investigations, William Smith surrendered, and Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was re-arrested. In response, the government introduced a “comprehensive checklist” for prison governors to follow during release processes and commissioned Dame Lynne’s review to prevent future incidents.