The electronic tagging system used to monitor offenders released early from prison is failing to alert authorities to potential breaches of conditions, according to a watchdog warning. Martin Jones, HM Inspector of Probation for England and Wales, said the system is 'clunky' and relies too heavily on hard-pressed police and probation officers manually checking individual cases to decide if breaches need investigation.
Jones called for an urgent upgrade so that alerts are automatically sent to authorities when a former inmate breaches an exclusion zone. His demand comes as the government prepares to release up to 5,000 prisoners from 1 October to ease the prison overcrowding crisis, with the prison population currently at 86,500 and only 2,400 spare places.
System under strain as tagging numbers double
The number of people electronically monitored in England and Wales has doubled to 28,700 in five years, and the number of newly tagged each year is expected to rise to 22,000 from 2027. Jones said this expansion requires a huge increase in staff to properly monitor offenders and minimize public risk.
In an interview with the Guardian, Jones said he had recently launched an inspection of offender tagging and found the system was under strain. 'Some of the systems are pretty clunky and it's far too reliant on people looking for the information rather than the information being fed or pushed to practitioners as a matter of course,' he said.
Early release scheme changes
Prime Minister Andy Burnham paused the early release scheme last month and on Tuesday announced plans to exclude prisoners guilty of rape, serious child sexual abuse offences, and grooming, reducing the number of releases by 1,000. Killers and domestic abusers will still be eligible for early release, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.
Jones warned that tagging alone is not enough. 'Tagging has potential to improve public perception of victims' safety. But only if it used properly and if there is a wider system and enough staff to support that. If not, there is a risk that you give false assurances to the public,' he said.
Inspection findings reveal gaps
An early review of Jones's inspection across six regions in England found that probation officers wrongly assumed they would be notified about breaches of exclusion zones, when they were required to conduct a specific search. Data was not being actively monitored or analysed to reduce risk to the public. The inspection also found 'significant complexity' in managing the monitoring process, leaving probation officers 'overwhelmed and disengaged' by the volume of correspondence.
Jones expressed concern about whether processes have kept pace with the number of people being tagged. 'Because ultimately all tagging gives you is information about where somebody is at a particular point in time. You are relying on having sufficient police officers and probation officers to look at that information and make a decision about how it informs your picture on the activities of that individual,' he said.
Approved premises need more staff
Jones also called for more staff in approved premises, which are hostels set up to monitor 2,000 of the most serious offenders when they are first released from prison. 'Our research shows that approved premises work. They are extremely effective at managing people after their initial release from custody. What a missed opportunity if those premises cannot remain open because of our insufficient staff,' he said.
Last month the National Audit Office found that the rapid expansion of electronic tagging to reduce pressure on prisons would put public safety at risk unless there were robust improvements.
Victims' families express anger
The changes to the early release scheme have sparked fury among victims' families. Lissie Harper, wife of PC Andrew Harper, whose killers remain eligible for early release, expressed anger. Justice Secretary Alex Norris apologised to families affected, saying they were 'carrying the can from previous failures'. He acknowledged the proposals had 'created harm' for those grieving.
Debbie Adlam, mother of PC Andrew Harper, said her family was 'paying the price' after learning her son's killers remained eligible for early release. Sarah Champion, Labour MP for Rotherham, has written to Burnham, telling him that victims would 'remain in a state of fear and limbo' unless domestic abusers were no longer included in the scheme.
Champion said: 'I fully support the government's ambitious goal to reduce violence against women and girls and tackle serious sexual offences. However, without reinstating the exemption to the early release scheme, I fail to see how that is possible.'
