Alcohol tags for offenders being freed from prison
THOUSANDS of offenders being released from prison in Wales will be banned from drinking.
For the first time serious and prolific offenders will be tagged with devices which monitor alcohol levels in sweat if their probation officer thinks they will be more likely to reoffend when drinking. The scheme is being rolled out across England and Wales and around 12,000 offenders will wear such a tag over the next three years.
The tags will be used on offenders coming out of prison under Probation Service supervision in Wales from now. The scheme will be applied in England next summer.
Alcohol tags have been available for judges and magistrates to hand down to offenders serving community sentences since last October.
This latest development will mean offenders will either have a licence condition which requires them to go teetotal for up to a year or have their drinking levels monitored because their risk of reoffending increases after heavy consumption.
The licence will stipulate that the alcohol tag must be worn for a minimum of 30 days up to a maximum of one year, with reviews carried out every three months to ensure it is still reasonable and proportionate to the risk they pose.
The length of time an offender is required to wear the tag is flexible in that it can be switched on and off and can be put on again after a year if deemed necessary and proportionate to the risk they pose.
The UK Government says it will help probation officers keep a closer eye on offenders’ behaviour and “support them to turn their backs on crime”.
According to the Ministry of Justice, alcohol plays a part in 39% of all violent crime in the UK and roughly 20% of offenders supervised by probation staff are classed as having an alcohol problem.
UK Government Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said: “This innovative technology has been successful in policing community sentences, with offenders complying over 97% of the time.
“Rolling the tags out further will help cut alcohol-fuelled crime, which causes untold misery for victims and lands society with a £21bn bill each year.
“Offenders now have a clear choice. If they don’t work with probation staff to curb their drinking and change their ways, they face being sent back to jail.”
Assistant chief officer Andy Roberts led a pilot of the scheme in Preston in 2019. He said: “The alcohol tag is a perfect example of how we are embracing technology to support the professional expertise and knowledge held by our probation officers to reduce reoffending and protect the public.
“The tag gives us the chance to either enforce abstinence or monitor an offender’s alcohol consumption around the clock and see when their drinking started, check its duration, when it peaked and when it ended. Probation officers can then have an open, honest and transparent conversation about the triggers to that drinking.
“It can act as a catalyst for changing behaviours. In complex and challenging cases alcohol is only part of the problem and therefore only part of the solution, but managing it can be crucial in helping address the wider issues.
“Our pilot found that it helps offenders achieve a level of stability which in turn allows us to address wider issues like mental health, accommodation, work and improving relationships.
“We also found the tag acted as a constant reminder. Offenders told us they were less likely to do something ‘stupid’ or ‘reckless’ and it brought clarity to bigger decision-making.”
Welsh probation officer Amy Ellis added: “The tag forces people to be honest. That honesty opens up conversations that we wouldn’t ordinarily be able to have.
“Now we can see if their consumption is reasonable or if there’s a worrying pattern and, if so, what is contributing to that pattern.
“If drinking is happening on a particular night, why is that? It gives us an insight into an offender’s behaviour that we’ve never previously had.”