A recent report from the Institute for Government reveals that over 5,000 offenders in England and Wales were not monitored in the first half of the year due to failures in electronic tagging. Additionally, around 1,600 tags lost signal for more than two weeks, highlighting significant issues within the probation system.
The report criticizes the current state of probation supervision, suggesting that staffing shortages have rendered court-imposed sentences largely ineffective. It calls for increased staffing and a more transparent sentencing model to address these challenges.