Jailed domestic abusers are to be fitted with electronic tags on release from prison under new victim protection measures.
Any offender deemed to pose a threat to a former partner or their children is eligible to be tagged under the UK-first measures, meaning their location can be monitored and strict curfews imposed.
They can also be banned from going within a certain distance of a victim’s home, with the government confirming those found in breach of the rules will face being thrown back in jail.
The domestic abuse tagging initiative will roll out across the east and west Midlands, with plans to expand the measures across England and Wales next year, according to the MoJ.
It is part of the government’s wider monitoring programme—extended in 2021—to include two “world-first” projects—the tagging of thieves and burglars using location data to pin them to the scenes of further crimes, and alcohol monitoring tags on post-custody offenders.
The strict new rules were announced on the same day as statistics for the MoJ’s Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service show that thousands of victims have been protected from further harassment from their imprisoned abusers.
The scheme—relaunched last year—blocks prisoners from contacting their victims via phone and letters whilst locked up.
Shameful Record
Announcing the new tagging scheme, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, said: “Survivors of domestic abuse show great strength and bravery in coming forward, and it is right that every tool is used to protect them from further harm.“The tagging of prison leavers at risk of committing further domestic abuse is a further protection we are introducing to help victims rebuild their lives and feel safe in their communities.”
Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, also said the scheme was a “positive step” in victim protection.
“By blocking perpetrators from contacting victims, the Unwanted Prisoner Contact scheme sets an important standard that the criminal justice system will not be used to further domestic abuse, making a difference for survivor’s safety, recovery, and freedom from abuse,” she said on Friday.
“For too long, the onus has been on victims of domestic abuse to protect themselves from harm. I will continue to work with government.
Valerie Wise, National Domestic Abuse Lead at the charity Victim Support said: “Unwanted contact from offenders is frightening and stressful—it is often used to intimidate survivors and continue campaigns of abuse.
“Early indications that survivors are making use of this service is positive news. We hope it will continue to make it easier and quicker to stop this behaviour so that survivors can move on and rebuild their lives.”
However, Labour’s shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said the government has a “shameful record of ignoring domestic abuse.”
“This pilot is a pathetic effort to stem the rising tide of violence against women and girls that has skyrocketed on their watch,” he said.
93 Percent Female
According to the MoJ, more than 3,000 reports have been made to the Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service since its relaunch in June 2022—representing a 4,779 percent increase compared to the old offline scheme.Of the 2,700 unique users who have filed reports, 93 percent are female with many being victims of domestic violence.
The service has also been used to disrupt criminal activity, such as the use and possession of illicit mobile phones by prisoners from behind bars, the MoJ said.
A recent case saw a prisoner’s sentence extended by 30 months as a result of intelligence submitted via the online portal.
Crucially, the scheme allows domestic violence charities and other support services to file reports on behalf of the victims, saving them from having to think about their abuser.
The government said the measures build on previous work aiming to end violence against women and girls builds on the landmark Domestic Abuse Act which introduced a range of victim protection measures.
This includes the introduction of new offences for non-fatal strangulation and image-based abuse and banning the cross-examination by abusers in the family courts.
The government has also quadrupled funding for victim services and recruited hundreds more Independent Domestic Violence Advisers.
