Crime Solicitors

A scheme which monitors alcohol intake by offenders released on licence has been so successful that it will be rolled out across London.

The pilot scheme of sobriety tags had a 92% success rate, figures show. New funds from the Ministry of Justice and the Mayor of London will enable courts in the capital to attach an ankle bracelet to offenders released on licence, whose crimes were influenced by alcohol.

The tags perform 24/7 monitoring of alcohol in an offender’s perspiration – if the offender drinks alcohol and breaches their alcohol abstinence order, they can be returned to court for further sanctions.

The Ministry of Justice is contributing £400,000 towards the cost of extending the scheme past its initial four pilot boroughs to the whole of the capital from April 2016.

The initiative will be run by the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), which is contributing £450,000 to the extension.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove said:

“I am absolutely committed to reducing re-offending, so we can cut crime and better protect the public.

“By giving courts this new power and making the latest technology available, we are helping offenders understand the detrimental impact drinking alcohol can have on their behaviour – this innovative approach has delivered impressive results so far and we will be building on them with this wider London roll out.”

Mayor of London Boris Johnson added:

“Alcohol-fuelled crimes put a huge strain on frontline services, costing the taxpayer billions of pounds each year – from assault, to drink driving, to theft and criminal damage, this innovative technology is driving down re-offending and proving rehabilitation does not have to mean prison.

“After such a success in South London, it’s time to roll out these tags to the rest of the capital and rid our streets of these crimes by helping even more offenders stay off the booze and get back on the right track.”

In the first 12 months of the pilot, a total of 113 alcohol abstinence requirement orders were made and offenders were required to remain sober for up to 120 days. The figures compare favourably with the compliance rate for other community-based orders.

Deputy Director of Rehabilitation at the London Community Rehabilitation Company, Iain Anderson, said:

“In the initial trials, the sobriety tag has already proved hugely successful in helping those convicted of alcohol-related crime to deal with the damaging impact of alcohol.

“Through sobriety tagging, we have seen a significant rise in the number of people who comply with their community order – and we are really keen to expand this success by using this innovative ‘tool’ to achieve meaningful results.”

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