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01/02/2006
Tagging provides 'cost effective' alternative to custody
Electronic monitoring of offenders provides value for money and a cost effective alternative to custody, the National Audit Office has reported.
The NAO said that it cost, on average, £1,300 to monitor an offender who was released on Home Detention Curfew for 90 days, compared to £6,500 for the same period in custody.
However, the report said that further savings of up to £9 million per year could be saved if the assessment process was streamlined.
Currently, only 59% of prisoners assessed as suitable for electronic tagging are released as soon as they are eligible. The NAO said that delays occurred because prison governors are waiting for reports from probation or other prisons for the offender's criminal record.
The NAO suggested that co-ordination across the criminal justice system needed to be improved in order to reduce the risk of delays in fitting tags or reporting breaches of curfew, as well making assessment of offenders more efficient. It also said delays in reporting breaches of curfew by private tag-operating firms could increase risks to the public.
The report said that the impact of the curfew was undermined if the equipment was not installed on time, or breaches were not promptly dealt with.
Of the 290 cases examined, 90% of offenders were fitted with tags within 24 hours of the start of their curfew. However, of the 78 cases where the curfew had been breached, 35% were not reported to the Home Office by contractors within 24 hours.
The NAO also examined a small sample of 35 cases where curfew orders had been breached and found that the contractors had reported only 31% to the courts on time. The report said that such delays could be "damaging" as they could increase the risk of further breaches or re-offending.
Commenting on the report, Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, said: "Electronic monitoring represents value for money, providing a cost-effective alternative to custody for offenders who do not pose a risk to the public. However, to ensure that a curfew is effective, it is essential that the contractors and criminal justice agencies work together to ensure that offenders are always tagged promptly and that any breaches of their curfew are dealt with quickly."
(KMcA)
The NAO said that it cost, on average, £1,300 to monitor an offender who was released on Home Detention Curfew for 90 days, compared to £6,500 for the same period in custody.
However, the report said that further savings of up to £9 million per year could be saved if the assessment process was streamlined.
Currently, only 59% of prisoners assessed as suitable for electronic tagging are released as soon as they are eligible. The NAO said that delays occurred because prison governors are waiting for reports from probation or other prisons for the offender's criminal record.
The NAO suggested that co-ordination across the criminal justice system needed to be improved in order to reduce the risk of delays in fitting tags or reporting breaches of curfew, as well making assessment of offenders more efficient. It also said delays in reporting breaches of curfew by private tag-operating firms could increase risks to the public.
The report said that the impact of the curfew was undermined if the equipment was not installed on time, or breaches were not promptly dealt with.
Of the 290 cases examined, 90% of offenders were fitted with tags within 24 hours of the start of their curfew. However, of the 78 cases where the curfew had been breached, 35% were not reported to the Home Office by contractors within 24 hours.
The NAO also examined a small sample of 35 cases where curfew orders had been breached and found that the contractors had reported only 31% to the courts on time. The report said that such delays could be "damaging" as they could increase the risk of further breaches or re-offending.
Commenting on the report, Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, said: "Electronic monitoring represents value for money, providing a cost-effective alternative to custody for offenders who do not pose a risk to the public. However, to ensure that a curfew is effective, it is essential that the contractors and criminal justice agencies work together to ensure that offenders are always tagged promptly and that any breaches of their curfew are dealt with quickly."
(KMcA)
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