Hundreds of prisoners released early across England and Wales, including stalkers and violent offenders, are not being tagged by Serco, according to MPs. This comes despite government promises of the “toughest supervision in British history”.
The government has begun releasing a second tranche of 650 offenders to alleviate the prison overcrowding crisis. Police and probation officers have indicated they are struggling to manage the influx of offenders who are meant to be monitored in the community.
During an urgent question in the Commons on Tuesday, Labour MP Clive Efford questioned why Serco had failed to provide enough tags for prisoners upon their release. Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy stated that most prisoners were not being tagged before release, contrary to government assurances.
Justice Minister Jake Richards responded that the government is working with Serco and has observed an improvement in implementation since March. He added that while there is a presumption for every person to be tagged, it is ultimately an operational decision.
Approximately 2,000 criminals, including domestic abusers and violent offenders, are being released this month, with an additional 3,000 to follow in stages over the next year. A senior Prison and Probation Service source indicated that a failure to tag offenders upon leaving prison could result in delays of up to a month before tagging occurs, or no tagging at all before reoffending.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley noted that many individuals who breach their tag conditions, such as consuming alcohol or drugs or violating a curfew, are not facing sanctions if arrested. He stated that over 95% of tagging breaches resulting in arrest lead to offenders being bailed back into the community under the same conditions.
The probation service union, Napo, held a pre-ballot meeting on Tuesday regarding potential strike action over pay and workloads. The union's negotiating committee rejected a conditional pay offer worth 5% earlier in October. A formal ballot on industrial action, covering pay and workloads, is scheduled to launch on 19 October.