Nottinghamshire GPS Electronic Monitoring
On 31 October 2016 GPS electronic monitoring by tagging will be piloted in Nottinghamshire in cases involving court bail, community orders, suspended sentence orders and parole cases involving IPP and lifers. This is part of 8 pilot in eight separate criminal justice areas for different types of case.
The pilot will aim to tag individuals who would otherwise be:
- refused bail and remanded in custody
- subject to a custodial sentence
- refused early release or re-release
- recalled to prison
- refused parole
The scheme is to run for a period of 12 months, with no additional tags to be implemented after that date, but those with existing tags will be able to have the benefit for a further 6 months from that date.
As currently, the aim will be to fit the tag within 24 hours of a decision being made. A home beacon and charging device will be provided at the approved address. The Case Management System receives an hourly update if there is compliance, but will receive an immediate alert where the wearer breaches a monitored condition, tampers with or removes the tag, fails to charge it or disconnects the home beacon.
Bail
In bail cases an exclusion or inclusion zone may be included in bail conditions that will be monitored by the tag if the zone is within the pilot area. The tag is not a free-standing condition but must be used to monitor a bail condition. The monitoring is imposed as a direct alternative to a custodial remand.
Sentences
For sentencing cases the GPS tag will again monitor exclusion or inclusion zones, again in cases where the community order or custodial thresholds are met.
Parole
In parole case the consideration and recommendation fro GPS tagging should come from the NPS as part of their OM report.
Conditions
In all cases the conditions that are being monitored by GPS should be unambiguous. For example, any geographical zones should be marked on a map. Other conditions such as attendance at work or on a programme should again be clearly set out. 
The GPS signal may be temporarily lost if wearer is in an underground car park, a train or other metallic environment, high or larger buildings such as shopping centres or heavily built up areas with lots of tall buildings.
Any such loss of signal will be monitored, and the wearer can be alerted to contact the monitoring centre to address any concerns.
Suitability
It will not be suitable for people of no fixed abode, or in shared accommodation such as blocks of flats or those with chronic mental health difficulties who would not be able to comply with conditions.
The tag is waterproof for up to an hour and shockproof, but not compatible with contact sports such as rugby, football or kick boxing(!).
The pilot will enable conclusions to be drawn as to how the GPS Electronic Monitoring by tagging affected the behaviour of tagged individuals, assess effectiveness as between those tagged and not tagged, and assess the costs of the necessary resources.
Contact Us
If you wish to discuss your eligibility then please contact your nearest office.
