Government assurances that early-released prisoners would be properly monitored have been contradicted by a report from His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP), revealing that some criminals wait up to five months before being fitted with an electronic tag. The report also found that only 55% of radio frequency and GPS tags were fitted on time, in what critics describe as a double blow to victims of crime and law-abiding taxpayers.
The disclosure follows recent scenes of inmates leaving prison after serving barely a third of their sentences, with some openly telling reporters they were likely to offend again soon. The lack of immediate tagging and patchy monitoring has been condemned as insulting by those who believe robust law, order and justice are the basis of a decent society.
Justice Secretary Unable to Confirm Tagging Numbers
Justice Secretary Alex Norris, in a BBC interview, was unable to give a number for how many of the 700 early release prisoners – including stalkers and domestic abusers – would be tagged upon release. This has raised questions about the government's grip on the situation.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson responded by saying: 'we are delivering the biggest expansion of tagging in British history, backed by £100 million in funding'. However, this soundbite has done little to reassure the public.
Probation Service Issues Tents Due to Accommodation Shortage
Further compounding the crisis, the probation service has run out of accommodation and has been issuing tents to former inmates. One probation officer explained they usually have up to a year to find housing for an inmate being released, but with the sheer volume of those now getting out early, this has been reduced to just a few weeks.
It is estimated that nearly one in six convicts are left homeless upon release, with Narco – a charity that supports ex-offenders – highlighting that two-thirds who leave prison homeless reoffend within a year.
Criticism of Government Handling
The government has continued to attribute the current crisis to the previous Conservative Government, but this argument no longer washes with the public, who see a government in power for nearly two and a half years making excuses for abject failures. Critics argue that the lack of immediate tagging and accommodation shows a complete disregard for public safety.
Questions have also been raised about whether alternative options to releasing prisoners early have been properly explored, including reconsidering the use of prison ships as was done in the late 1990s to ease overcrowding. The situation has been described as a complete dereliction of duty, with the government having told the public that anyone released early would be properly monitored, a promise that is simply not being kept.
