Justice Secretary Alex Norris has stated that it is too early to determine the number of prisoners released early who have been fitted with electronic monitoring devices. Norris indicated that approximately 700 inmates were let out of jail last week, and information regarding the electronic tagging of this cohort is still being compiled.
This admission comes despite the Ministry of Justice's earlier claim that offenders leaving prison would be subject to the 'toughest supervision in British history' and that there is a 'presumption that offenders will be electronically tagged and monitored'. When questioned about the tagging figures, Norris explained that the process only began on Thursday and acknowledged a potential 'lag' in obtaining the exact numbers. He noted that while some criminals are being tagged upon release under a pilot program, for others, the process may take additional time.
Norris addressed concerns regarding domestic abusers among those released, asserting that while the government would have preferred to implement stricter measures, the alternative would have been fewer prison places, leading to perpetrators being bailed to their homes. He defended the current measures as a mitigation strategy.
When challenged on public trust in safeguarding measures, citing the past instances where 5,000 offenders allegedly flouted tagging orders, Norris stated that performance in tagging has significantly improved over the past year.
In a separate development, Labour has withdrawn plans to address the courts case backlog by restricting jury trials. Norris explained that these proposed curbs would have slowed down justice reforms. He maintained that the backlog will still be reduced through other measures, including altering the 'right to elect' for jury trials, giving courts more discretion in case allocation between magistrates' courts and Crown Courts. Additionally, restrictions on Crown Court appeals for cases tried in Magistrates Courts and an increase in the sentencing power of magistrates are intended to expedite the handling of cases. Norris believes these changes will reroute cases more efficiently, thereby reducing the current unacceptable waiting lists.