The accidental release of a second foreign prisoner has forced ministers to re-examine security and release procedures, as new figures show a sharp rise in such errors. Government data reveals that 262 prisoners were released in error in the 12 months to March, a 128% increase from 115 in the previous year. The vast majority – 233 – occurred in prisons, while the remaining 29 happened in courts.
Breakdowns in communication between prisons, the Ministry of Justice and the courts are said to be at the heart of the problem. A computer system designed to automate release date calculations has failed, leaving staff to perform complex calculations by hand. With nearly 20% of prisoners held on remand, there has been a rise in transfers between prison and court, and staff complain that warrants are being lost or misplaced. Without a warrant, staff have no legal power to detain a prisoner. Inexperienced staff are also being left with large caseloads.
The issue was highlighted in September 2024 when 37 inmates were freed in error during an emergency release scheme, their offences having been wrongly logged under repealed legislation. More recently, Hadush Kebatu, a former asylum seeker whose sexual offences triggered unrest in Essex, was accidentally released from HMP Chelmsford. A delivery driver reported seeing him return to the prison in a “very confused” state several times, only to be turned away.
Attention has again fallen on HMP Wandsworth, where former soldier Daniel Khalife escaped in September 2023 by clinging to the underside of a food delivery truck. Despite two guards checking the vehicle with a torch and mirror, they allowed it to leave after telling the driver someone was missing. The prison was placed in special measures and its chief inspector, Charlie Taylor, said security remained a “serious concern”. Inspectors in 2024 attributed the turmoil at the “severely overcrowded” jail to “sustained decline permitted to happen in plain view of leaders”.
Justice Secretary David Lammy introduced a five-page checklist just over a week ago requiring senior staff to sign off releases, with a duty governor made personally responsible for inspecting procedures. However, the latest release errors occurred despite these instructions, underscoring the depth of the problems facing the prison system.
