Hundreds of prisoners released early across England and Wales, including individuals convicted of stalking and violent offenses, are reportedly not being electronically tagged as promised, raising concerns among members of Parliament and law enforcement officials. This issue has emerged amid efforts to address a persistent prison overcrowding crisis through the early release of offenders.
The government has initiated a second wave of releases involving approximately 650 offenders this month, with plans for an additional 3,000 over the coming year. These figures represent a scaled-back total from an originally proposed 6,000, following intervention by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. Among those being released are domestic abusers and violent offenders, who are generally expected to be subject to electronic monitoring and other supervisory conditions for the latter part of their sentences.
During an urgent question session in the House of Commons, Labour MP Clive Efford raised concerns about the outsourcing company Serco’s role in tagging released prisoners, accusing the firm of failing to fulfill contractual obligations. “They are not actually fulfilling their contracts. It can’t be beyond the tech firm’s ability to tag people on release. So what are these companies going to do about it?” Efford asked.
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy criticized government assurances regarding the tagging system, describing them as “nonsense.” Timothy noted that despite earlier claims by the Justice Secretary that all released prisoners would be tagged under the “toughest tagging regime in history,” this has not been reflected in practice.
Responding to the criticisms, Justice Minister Jake Richards stated that the government is collaborating closely with Serco and has observed improvements in the tagging process since March. He emphasized that while there is a presumption that all eligible offenders would be electronically monitored, the final decision is operational.
A spokesperson for Serco defended the company’s record, stating that it is “delivering an excellent service, tagging a record number of people, and consistently meeting all our contractual measures.” The spokesperson added that attempts are made to fit electronic monitoring devices on all individuals required to wear them, and where this is not feasible or conditions are breached, those cases are reported to the appropriate authorities for further action.
The probation service, which is responsible for supervising offenders in the community, has sounded alarms over the strain caused by the releases. The union Napo cited increasing workloads and pressures on probation officers and held a pre-ballot meeting to consider strike action over pay and working conditions. This follows the rejection of a conditional 5% pay offer earlier this month. A formal ballot on potential industrial action is scheduled for 19 October.