London: A new report says that more than half the criminals have been directed to wear an electronic tag break their curfew.
The review by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation is critical of the way electronic monitoring is being used in England and Wales.
A separate report by the probation officers’ union Napo has detailed dozens of mistakes made by tagging staff during a four-month period.
Changes are to be implemented under new contracts, the government says.
The use of electronic monitoring has more than doubled in the last six years, with a total of 80,000 people tagged in 2010-11.
The inspectorate review of a sample number of cases raised specific concerns about court paperwork, saying too often it was unclear, illegible or wrong, leading to delays.
Furthermore, the review said curfews were often unrelated to the offence that had been committed, and rarely part of a strategy to address offending behaviour.
Of 81 of the cases examined more than a third (37%) involved serious violations, including damaging equipment or being absent for the entire curfew period.
“If the cost of electronically monitored curfews is to be fully justified, they need to be used more creatively and more effectively,” said Liz Calderbank, the HMIP’s chief inspector.
“This means providing targeted control and restriction and helping individuals to change their offending behaviour.”
Ms Calderbank described as “deeply worrying” one case in which a violent offender who had beaten his wife was sent back to their home address. He was later charged with assaulting her during the curfew period.
Gathered by probation officers, they include a case in which the wrong person was tagged, an example where a monitoring bracelet was fitted to an artificial leg and claims that an offender managed to remove his tag and tie it to his dog.
However, many of the cases detail breakdowns in communication, similar to those mentioned in the HMIP report.
One probation officer from the north of England said that on one occasion there had been 40 violations before her office was contacted. She asked to remain anonymous because of fears she could be disciplined for speaking out.
“There will be the odd time when you are not aware at all, that the person’s violating the tag,” she said.
“The only time you do become aware, is perhaps when they commit an offence in the middle of the night.
“Or they’re stopped and searched and we get the information from the police.”
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