Prisoners Governors’ Association blames “unprecedented and sustained pressure” after series of prisoners being released by mistake.

By Iain McLean

The Prisoners Governors’ Association has been forced to issue a statement in response to the mistaken releases of Hadush Kebatu, released from HMP Chelmsford, and William Smith released from HMP Wandsworth along with Brahim Kaddour-Cherif.

The Association have claimed the root problem of these incidents is the increasing strain on the prison system as a whole.

They state that because of the strain on the system “This is not pressure felt in isolation – prisons are interconnected. While some establishments may be coping better than others, the strain is systemic.”

They also claim Releases in Errors (RiEs) are openly reported by the Government in the HMPPS Annual Digest, citing data released from 2024-2025.According to the data there were 863 releases in 2025, which was a decline of 12% from 985 the previous year.

They follow up with stating that between January and March 2025, 13,296 people were released from prison, in the same period there were 23,154 prisoner transfers.  The sheer number of movement within the prison system led to The Association stating, “By a crude measure, it would be likely to see in one year over 52,000 sentenced people released from prison and 92,000 transferred between prisons.”

They claim that the figures “reflect a system running hot, and under constant strain” and further state that the case management system is “complex and under resourced”.

While acknowledging the rise of RiEs is “deeply concerning” they claim that to stop all errors it would require “substantial investment in staff training, modern IT infrastructure, and recruitment, all within a system already stretched by competing priorities”.

The Association takes a clear jab at the Conservatives claiming, “While political parties showboat and grandstand, the real risk to the public is not being effectively managed – despite the relentless efforts of those working within HMPPS.”

The response to the Conservatives comes after Kemi Badenoch and the party have criticised the Government openly, be it social media posts or directly facing Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy in Parliament.

Lammy faced a call from the Conservatives to return to the House of Commons to update the house on what he knew, however, Lammy waited until PMQ’s were finished and “further facts had emerged” before making his statement.

In response, Conservative shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick stated that Lammy has “got to get a grip” calling the situation “a total shambles”.

Hadush Kebatu was scooped up by police in a North London park, Sunday, October 8th and William Smith willingly returned to HMP Wandsworth Thursday, November 6th.

The police manhunt for Algerian national, Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is still underway.