Hundreds of early-release prisoners in England and Wales not being tagged, say MPs
Summary
Hundreds of prisoners released early in England and Wales, including some violent offenders, are not being given electronic tags as planned, according to MPs. This problem is causing difficulties for police and probation officers who monitor these offenders in the community.Key Facts
- Hundreds of early-release prisoners are not being tagged by Serco, the company responsible for electronic tagging.
- The government aimed to enforce the "toughest supervision in British history" with tagging but most prisoners are not tagged before release.
- About 2,000 offenders are being freed this month, including violent criminals and domestic abusers, with more releases planned over the next year.
- Prisoners convicted of manslaughter are not eligible for this early release program.
- Police and probation staff report being overwhelmed by the extra workload due to early releases.
- Probation officers’ union is considering strike action over pay and workload concerns.
- There are delays in tagging prisoners after release, sometimes up to a month, increasing the risk of reoffending.
- Police say many offenders who break tagging rules are re-released without penalties.
- The prison population in England and Wales has increased by 2% in the past three months.
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