PRT comment: Expansion of electronic monitoring

Commenting on the government’s plans to expand the use of electronic monitoring, including by introducing a presumption that all prison leavers should be tagged, Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said:

“We welcome the additional investment in probation and efforts to reduce caseloads and improve the recruitment and retention of probation officers. This will be vital to the success of the government’s efforts to reduce pressure on prisons by moving towards a more community-based justice system.

“However, the danger of a presumption towards electronic monitoring is that it could undermine these efforts by increasing the burden of monitoring and supervision on frontline probation officers. It could also lead to an increase in breach of licence conditions and a rise in recalls to custody, placing more, not less, pressure on prisons.

“Electronic monitoring is not a panacea for reducing reoffending. While it can be a useful option as part of licence conditions, evidence shows it is most effective when combined with appropriate supervision and support. Tagging can an effective tool for enhancing monitoring and supervision, but it also carries the risk of increased stigmatisation which can undermine resettlement and reintegration on release.

“The risk of a presumption is that tagging will be imposed when it is not appropriate to do so — for instance when a tag could undermine resettlement outcomes such as employment or family contact, or if a curfew is imposed when there is a risk of domestic abuse. Talk of a presumption is unhelpful and undermines the need for professional discretion and clear guidance in the effective use of electronic monitoring.”