Research & reports

Date01 March 2017
Published date01 March 2017
DOI10.1177/0264550517695165
AuthorHannah Graham
Subject MatterResearch & reports
PRB695165 62..66
Research & reports
The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice
Probation Journal
Research & reports
2017, Vol. 64(1) 62–66
ª The Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/0264550517695165
journals.sagepub.com/home/prb
Expert working group report on electronic monitoring
in Scotland
Since its inception in Scotland in 2002, the uses of electronic monitoring (EM) have
been relatively simple, standardized and stable, with only one type of technology –
radio frequency tagging – used in combination with curfews. Importantly, nearly all
uses of EM in Scotland have been stand-alone, meaning no offender supervision
requirements for those on EM court orders or on early release from prison with a
Home Detention Curfew. Criminal justice social workers (the Scottish equivalent of
probation officers) and third sector services have had little involvement with sup-
porting monitored people to date. This is set to change.
On 4 October 2016, a new 65-page report, Electronic Monitoring in Scotland
Working Group Final Report, was publicly released by the Scottish Government
(2016a, 2016b) and widely reported in the media. It sets out a series of recom-
mendations to Scottish Ministers about improving and expanding the uses of elec-
tronic monitoring, the most significant of which are summarized below (to read in
full, see Scottish Government, 2016a: 7–10).
Summary of key recommendations in the report
Make EM more integrated: introduce supervision and support options within
electronically monitored orders, as well as introducing the option of EM as a
condition within other community-based orders (e.g. Community Payback
Orders, which are used more frequently);
Introduce new EM technologies: introduce GPS tags and transdermal alcohol
monitoring tags, alongside existing radio frequency tags;
Explore and expand more modalities and uses for different purposes: explore
more uses of EM, from pre-trial use, to use as an alternative to a fine or as a
...

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