UK to deploy biometric ID in prisons after 179 released in error

The UK government has announced the digitalization of the prison system, with a new biometric ID system aimed at preventing errors such as mistaken releases.

Fingerprints and facial scans will be used to verify the identities of prisoners at key points, including upon release from custody, the Home Office announced on Wednesday. Trials of the Justice ID system will begin within six months, with a full rollout expected before the end of this parliament, according to Justice Minister David Lammy.

“We are rolling out biometrics, a new Justice ID and up to £82 million (US$110.9 million) to bear down on these errors and keep the public safe after years of chaos,” the Minister said in a statement.

The announcement comes after 179 prisoners were found to have been released in error in England and Wales between April 2025 and March 2026. Another 262 prisoners were mistakenly released in 2024, making it a record year.

Among them was the high-profile case of sex offender Hadush Kebatu, who was released from Chelmsford prison in October last year, resulting in a manhunt that cost the police £152,738 (US$206,576). Kebatu was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman.

Minister Lammy has blamed the incidents on a “broken system caused by 14 years of underinvestment and overcrowding” in prisons and courts.

The new digital ID system will allow staff to access information on individuals, eliminating duplicate entries and fragmented paper-based processes. Aside from digitizing the outdated paper-based prison system, authorities plan to expand the use of body-worn cameras to all uniformed personnel working with prisoners.

The plan, however, may not be that simple to execute. The UK criminal justice system is a “cumbersome arrangement of disconnected legacy apparatus,” says Fraser Sampson, former UK biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner. A systemic solution would require all data from courts, probation service, police and prisons to be joined in one place.

“An integrated system across the criminal justice sector will need serious groundwork, converting records into a comprehensive, accessible database,” Fraser wrote for Biometric Update last year. “It will need compatible infrastructure across the estate to allow for basic biometric verification so that decision makers are equipped with all the detail. But it could work.”

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  identity verification  |  law enforcement  |  prisons  |  UK digital ID