Key facts
- Hundreds of early-release prisoners in England and Wales are not being tagged, MPs stated.
- The outsourcing company Serco is responsible for tagging prisoners upon release.
- Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy claimed the majority of prisoners are not being tagged.
- Justice Minister Jake Richards said improvements have been made and that tagging is an operational decision.
- Around 2,000 criminals are being freed this month, with 3,000 more to follow over the next year.
- The victims' commissioner, Claire Waxman, expressed concern that government confidence in the plan is not matched by reality.
Hundreds of prisoners, including those convicted of stalking and violent offenses, are being released across England and Wales without electronic tags, according to Members of Parliament. This situation arises despite government pledges for "the toughest supervision in British history" and amid concerns about the capacity of police and probation services to manage the growing number of offenders in the community.
During an urgent question in the Commons, Clive Efford, Labour MP for Eltham and Chislehurst, questioned why Serco, the outsourcing company responsible for tagging, had not ensured sufficient tags for departing prisoners. He stated that the company was not fulfilling its contracts. The shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, echoed these concerns, asserting that most prisoners were not being tagged, contrary to government assurances.
Justice Minister Jake Richards acknowledged that improvements have been made since March but clarified that tagging is ultimately an operational decision. Approximately 2,000 criminals are being released this month, with an additional 3,000 scheduled for release over the next year. Prisoners convicted of manslaughter are excluded from this early release program.
The probation service union, Napo, has reported significant strain on its members due to the increased workload from early releases since 2022. The union is considering strike action over pay and workloads, having rejected a conditional pay offer of 5%. A senior Prison and Probation Service source warned that a failure to tag offenders upon release increases the likelihood of them reoffending before being tagged.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley highlighted that a high percentage of tag breaches, such as consuming alcohol or violating curfews, are not resulting in sanctions, with offenders often being bailed back into the community. The Ministry of Justice reported that the prison population in England and Wales has risen by over 1,700 in the last three months to 87,499. The victims' commissioner, Claire Waxman, has also expressed skepticism, stating that the government's confidence in its plan is not yet supported by the reality on the ground.