Does tagging work?

What do you think about the use of electronic tagging to deal with offenders?

The government's flagship £100million programme to tackle persistent young offenders has come under fire, with new figures suggesting high reoffending rates.

Nine out of ten offenders on the scheme, which involves tagging and police surveillance, reoffend within two years, an Oxford University study suggests.

The Youth Justice Board, which runs the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme in England and Wales, said the re-offending rate was "very high".

Does tagging work? Is it good to have alternatives to prison? Have you been a victim of a crime by somebody on a tagging order? Do you know anyone who has?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

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The following comments reflect the balance of opinion received:

It is expensive and ineffective Eddie Espie, Cookstown, N. Ireland

Tagging is only one of the tools used to deal with offenders. It is expensive and ineffective, therefore further investment in the project should be scrapped. For persistent offenders there remains only one effective deterrent method, prison.
Eddie Espie, Cookstown, N. Ireland

I know from working in the telecoms industry as an engineer that tagging not only doesn't work as a deterrent but also more often than people would like to think, the tagging system does not work at all! I am frequently called out to monitoring stations to find that they have completely lost all the yobs on their watch and Lord knows what they are up to whilst no-one is watching their movements.
CK, UK

I believe first-time offenders should get a set prison term (6 months for instance) with no parole. If they reoffend, 12 months and so on and so forth, doubling the prison sentence each time. Maybe when they've got out after a four year stretch the prospect of a guaranteed eight years would force them on to the straight and narrow. Simple!
Steven Brown, Wales

One of the disadvantages with the current system of locking people up is that young men become institutionalised, many having spent their whole lives in care of one kind or another, and can't cope with life outside. Some re-offend in order to avoid having to take responsibility for their lives, knowing that prison provides a consistent and predictable environment. And before anyone suggests it, making the regime tougher is not the solution.
J, Lichfield, England

I have spent 18 years working in the criminal justice system and in all that time I have witnessed a rapid climb in offending. When will the public stop accepting the false solutions and promises of the so-called experts that they can reduce offending behaviour?
Mark Ayres, Durham

I think tagging is only really appropriate for non-violent, less serious crimes as not all offences would benefit from a prison sentence. On one hand people are saying that all offenders should be locked up and yet they still complain about the taxpayers money which is being used to pay for it. We can't have it both ways.

I work closely with the Youth Offending Team in my local area and its amazing how many people are willing to criticise an already difficult situation, but these tend to be the people who will continue to sit back and complain; they wont come forward, give up some of their time to try and make a difference. I agree with the comments that each crime should be dealt with in its own right. Some people genuinely make silly mistakes, some are perpetual reoffenders, however, the root cause needs to be established before behaviours can be expected to change. If you don't like it, do something about it!
Abi, Telford, Shropshire

While my gut feeling is with the "lock 'em up" brigade, I think we need to look at the causes behind crime. Lack of respect, for themselves and others seems to be a big problem. Bring back discipline in schools, along with clear rules for respecting each other, and crime will drop. If these young offenders had enough self respect, they wouldn't see tagging as a laugh, it would be something to be ashamed of, and that shame would be deterrent enough for most people!
Kristy, Watford

Tagging isn't the answer. This country requires a massive increase in prisons and a significant increase in prison sentences. Also the full term should always be served. Perhaps then we can have real punishment for youths that step out of line.
Keith, UK

I agree with the majority of the comments here, if offenders were actually made to do something useful, not only would they be too busy to re-offend during this period but they would be contributing to the benefit of all. Under the current tagging system they're left to their own devices to think about the next crime to commit.
Paul, Bath

Not only tagging, but mandatory counselling and coursework should be required. It should be a sort of university to prepare offenders to rejoin civilised society. They also get out of it some sort of trade skill so they can get a job. Their choice, this or prison. Time to get tough.
Steve, Manchester, UK

The real problem here is that judges and magistrates are completely out of tune with what most of the population want. We really need to have our judges and magistrates elected by the community (say every five years) instead of the unaccountable, secretive old boys network we have now. Time for a change.
Alan Baker, Chelmsford England

A friend of mine committed a jailable offence. Because he'd never committed a crime before and was in fulltime employment, they tagged him instead, which enables him to keep working and paying taxes, but puts a crimp in his lifestyle - he has to be at home between 9 at night and 6 in the morning. It isn't a very harsh sentence, but in his case maybe it works - he isn't an unpleasant freeloader, doesn't hang around street corners abusing people, and isn't likely to re-offend. For people with jobs and families being sent to jail is a much tougher sentence than for young offenders. Being tagged means nothing to the yobs who usually receive them, but helps my friend continue with his life and continue making a contribution to society.
Vic, Notts

Tagging or prison doesn't work, just a waste of tax payers money. Invest in our society, education and respect policies and that will bring down the crime rate. When last did you see someone give up their seat to an old or pregnant lady on the tube?
Richard, London

It is time to take a hard look at our laws and make some tough decisions David R, Plymouth

I seem to recall re-offender statistics that show custodial sentences are no better than tagging. I agree with Colin Wright, it is time to take a hard look at our laws and make some tough decisions. We should stop taking the soft option in keeping the status quo. Drugs abuse is often cited as the main cause of crime, yet the root cause of all the social problems it causes is down to drugs being illegal. There has to be a better way of dealing with the obvious demand for recreational drug use. While I have no doubt there will always be crime we can go a long way to making a sizable chunk of criminal activity redundant; namely drug dealing, thuggery to feed a habit, exploitation and all other drug related crimes. Then maybe the police will have the resources to tackle the rest more effectively.
David R, Plymouth, UK

David R, Plymouth UK- The biggest source of anti-social behaviour is alcohol...and that's legal, so your argument that making other drugs legal would reduce crime is highly dubious. Unless you suggest giving free access to drugs for everyone (including kids) then you'll still need drug laws and someone will be more than happy to break them. Look at how many shopkeepers sell alcohol to underage kids and look at the effect that alcohol then has.
P, Notts

Tagging doesn't work. I personally would like us to adopt a system America implements which is to get the lesser offenders to toil as chain gangs. Just think road repair would be cheaper using criminal labour and there would be enough manpower. That way they can pay off they're debt. I would also put those who have to serve community service orders in there as well.
Dave, Aberdeen

Once again, I see plenty of comments from the lock 'em up brigade, with no emphasis being placed on the reason behind offences being committed in the first place; poverty, unemployment, the feeling of disconnection and disenfranchisement. How can criminals be made to reconnect with society when they are locked away from it? It is clear that, in certain cases, tags have been used inappropriately, with violent criminals being allowed out with thugs being used as an insufficient safeguard, I personally know a non-violent drug offender who was tagged and released, to great success. Having said that, the police surveillance was extremely rigid, and any transgression of his curfew resulted in a immediate personal visit by a police officer. This clearly shows that tagging, if judiciously applied and followed up appropriately, can be successful. My friend is now a chartered surveyor! Let's not condemn our young people to a life of the prison cycle.
Louisa, Farnham, UK

As a member of the "lock 'em up" brigade, I would say to Louisa, Farnham, that we do not care about the reasons behind offences, nor how long it takes for offenders to reconnect with society. What we are concerned about is removing crime from our society, and that means removing criminals from our society, permanently. Build more prisons and bring back the death penalty.
David, Cornwall, UK

I'm currently working with young offenders close to release. They regard tagging as a big joke, and almost a status symbol. The vast majority go straight back to drugs and theft and the tag makes no difference whatsoever.
Alastair Johnson, London, UK

The Government is reducing the armed forces, with this reduction comes a reduction in RAF Stations and Army Camps. Turn these in to boot camps employ the Ex-service men and women to work these camps. That is the only why these yobs will learn to be part of society instead of wrecking it for the majority. I'm presently in the Armed Forces and served in Iraq put my name on the top of the job list Mr Blair.
Chris, UK Peterborough

Tags have indeed proven to be useless, but prison is just as useless if the time is not spent wisely Darryl LeCount, Paderborn, Germany

Tags have indeed proven to be useless, but prison is just as useless if the time is not spent wisely. If they reoffend, then they have a reason to reoffend. Prison needs to be used to offer offenders the opportunity to learn why they shouldn't reoffend, and to offer them the chance to turn their life around. Sticking someone in jail for twenty years instead of ten won't make them twice the better person.
Darryl LeCount, Paderborn, Germany

Tagging does undoubtedly work for some crimes but as far as I'm concerned should never, ever be used for those who have committed violent crimes and certainly it should not be used simply to clear some space in prisons. What we really need to ask ourselves in the long run however is what is wrong with our society? Why is a prison population so very high? Are we criminalising some people unnecessarily at the same time as giving violent criminals ridiculously sort sentences? Do the dynamics of our society encourage criminal behaviour? If we don't answer these questions I fear we face a bleak future regardless of the tagging issue.
Colin Wright, UK

If nine out of ten offenders reoffend then I would say no, it doesn't work. Maybe it's time to stop being soft on criminals and hard on victims and to start handing out punishments that really mean something. The little thugs in Britain have had it easy for too long now, time for them to stop bleating about being let down by society and to pay for the damage they do.
Vicola, Manchester

Does Tagging Work? Absolutely not. There has been clear evidence in the past of tagged criminals who actually re-offend while they are wearing a tag, so I fail to see how this is a deterrent. This whole scheme is just a smoke screen, to keep the prison population down.
Alex, Glasgow, Scotland

Tags are a joke! They are often seen as status symbols by younger offenders Dan, Yateley

Tags are a joke! They are often seen as status symbols by younger offenders, and do nothing to curb reoffending. Offenders should be locked up until their sentence has passed. If there aren't enough prisons, build more!
Dan, Yateley, UK

BBC Nottingham recently reported that strawberries are rotting in the fields in Lincolnshire because no one is willing to pick them.... the problem is now solved. Chain gangs of young offenders can pick crops for 16 hours a day unpaid. The victims of their crimes benefit through cheaper food, the farmers make a better living and the environment benefits from less imports of food and less fuel used to harvest the crops. The offenders themselves will become fitter and be too tired to even dream of re-offending. It would even be cheaper to administer than tagging.
Peter, Nottingham

I've seen some young offenders with tags around my town, and far from a deterrent, they have held it similar to a status symbol - personally, I find it laughable that when someone is sentenced to life, that they can be out in 12 years. We can not hit crime rates until there is a clear deterrent for offenders.
Simone Haskell-Dowland, Plymouth, UK

When is this government of ours going to take some steps to deal with criminals that are unpleasant, fair, but above all, reflect that the person who has committed the crime doesn't walk away smirking from the Court. Lock them up for the full term. If necessary, build lots more prisons. Make them basic, with boot-camp type warders who don't put up with any nonsense.
Ken Thompson, Paignton, UK

As a police officer my considered opinion of tagging matches that of the research findings. Totally ineffective and useless. Offenders are rolling on the floor laughing when they get a tag instead of prison.
Garry, Manchester, England

None out of ten reoffend. How can we even be debating this with that statistic? Scrap it now, imprison the offenders, link the offence with the crime and make them work every day for their keep and to repay and undo the damage they have done to society.
Tom Franklin, London, UK