The government has announced the biggest expansion of electronic tagging in British history, with tens of thousands of offenders to be fitted with tags that track their location in real time upon release from prison. The measures, outlined by prisons minister James Timpson, include a new pilot scheme to track domestic abusers and stalkers, alerting authorities if they approach their victims.
Under the plans, the vast majority of ex-offenders leaving prison will be tagged as part of intensive supervision by the Probation Service. However, probation officers will have fewer meetings with low-risk prisoners to focus on high-risk offenders such as terrorists, murderers and prolific sex offenders. Lord Timpson said: 'This is the biggest expansion of tagging in British history and means the most dangerous offenders will now be watched more closely than ever before.'
The move follows an overcrowding crisis, which saw about 40,000 prisoners released early under an emergency scheme launched in September 2024 after prisons almost reached full capacity. The Ministry of Justice said it would recruit 1,300 extra probation officers next year as part of a £700m investment by 2029, which includes £100m for the tagging expansion by the end of this parliament. A £5m pilot will test 'proximity monitoring technology' for domestic abusers and stalkers.
However, charities and campaigners have expressed caution. Pia Sinha, CEO of the Prison Reform Trust, said tagging was 'not a panacea for reducing reoffending', warning that equipment could be unreliable and lead to more breaches and recalls. Victims’ commissioner Claire Waxman said tagging must be backed by swift enforcement to avoid creating a false sense of security for victims.
