The Electronic Monitoring of Adult Offenders

Electronic monitoring of a curfew has become an integral part of the criminal justice system and its use has increased from 9,000 cases in 1999-2000 to 53,000 in 2004-05. This report examines its cost effectiveness and covers: whether breaches of curfew are detected and dealt with promptly; the cost compared to custody; the impact on the offending behaviour. The main conclusion is that electronic tagging does offer value for money but effectiveness is undermined by delays in fitting tags and delays in responding to breaches of curfew.