Tagging of offenders creates 'false sense of assurance', warn watchdogs

Electronic tagging of offenders is creating a “false sense of assurance”, the probation and constabulary inspectorates have warned in a joint report published today, as 1,350 prisoners prepare to be released early from 1 October.

HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services found that only 55 per cent of location tags were fitted promptly, and some prisoners were left untagged for as long as five months.

The chief inspector of probation, Martin Jones, said electronic monitoring was “rapidly expanding” but “the systems, processes and frontline practice needed to make it effective have not kept pace”.

“There is a real danger that electronic monitoring creates a false sense of assurance if the technology is not matched by effective professional practice,” he said.

The warning comes days before the early release scheme begins on 1 October, freeing 1,350 prisoners over a fortnight — double the number originally planned — including offenders serving sentences of up to two years and five months.

Tagging is a central part of the government’s safety plans: ministers introduced a presumption to tag offenders before release, with curfew, location and alcohol tags expected to be used, and sexual and violent offenders confined to new “restriction zones” drawn up with victims’ input.

The report found tags were often fitted late, enforcement was weak when offenders breached conditions, and victims were not always told about bail outcomes. The Ministry of Justice said tag installation rates were up nearly 50 per cent since 2024.

Sources

• The Times: “Tagging prisoners gives ‘false sense of assurance’, warns watchdog” — https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/early-release-scheme-tagging-prisoners-xb78s2xhk
• The Times: “Most prisoners will not be tagged before their early release” — https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/prisoners-freed-early-release-scheme-not-be-tagged-6mgrr6bn6