Tagged prisoners on crime spree

Prisoners released from jail early and placed under tagging scheme have committed over 1,000 crimes.

According to the figures obtained by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) these include one murder, four manslaughters, over 700 assaults and hundreds of other crimes recorded since 1999.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said the report raised serious issues about the way the way tagging is being used and accused the government of a "shocking disregard for public safety".

He called on the government to provide sufficient prison places.

Home Office Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said the figures accounted for a 4% re-offending rate among the the 130,000 low-risk offenders released under the Home Detention Curfew scheme.

Under the tagging scheme Prison Governors have the responsibility for making the decision whether or not to release inmates under the auspices of the tagging scheme.

Edward Leigh the Chairman of the all-party PAC said that Prison governors were receiving insufficient feedback on crimes committed by tagged inmates.

Mr Leigh said: "Releasing selected offenders early from prison on condition that they are subject to an electronically monitored curfew at home is a cost-effective alternative to custody. But only if there is minimal risk to the public.

"In fact, the prison governors who take the final decision to release offenders on curfew are not told if their assessments turned out to be sound. It is of crucial importance to public safety that they are given the kind of information on outcomes which can improve their future decision-making."

The Prison Reform Trust said that the re-offending rate was low compared with the overall prison population and was an indication that the scheme was both working and made sound economic sense.

The prison population in the UK reached a record high with 79,843 people in jail at the weekend.

The Home Secretary has outlined a series of steps to relieve the pressure on prisons.

(SP/CD)