Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 22
22
Deferred
Paragraph: 126
Ensure magistrates are informed about electronic monitoring to improve awareness and confidence.
Recommendation
We welcome the Government’s commitment to the use of electronic monitoring. Such technology offers opportunities to prevent the use of custodial remand through monitoring in the community and can also monitor compliance with bail conditions. We recommend that the Ministry of Justice ensure magistrates are provided with the information on the forms of electronic monitoring that are available and what they can be used for to improve awareness and confidence in the use of tagging as an alternative to custodial remand.
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation but then focused on the expansion of Community Accommodation Service Tier-2 (CAS-2) bed spaces and monthly reviews of demand, only briefly linking it to electronic monitoring outreach work without detailing how magistrates will be informed about EM.
Paragraph Reference:
126
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
We accept this recommendation. The demand for Community Accommodation Service Tier-2 (CAS-2) accommodation is reviewed monthly to monitor occupancy levels and formally twice a year as part of a review of the property portfolio to assess capacity in relation to demand. The review is conducted jointly between HMPPS and Nacro, who provide the service. To meet projected demand and help mitigate the potential for people to be remanded to custody because of a lack of bed spaces, the contract with Nacro has already been expanded by 100 bed spaces and resources are in place to further expand, targeting a further 200 spaces by April 2024. This would bring the contract to a total of 850 beds, which is subject to the availability of suitable properties. Part of our outreach work on electronic monitoring (see recommendation 18 and 20) includes identifying any barriers to remanding an individual on bail. We are continuing to explore to what extent the lack of accommodation is raised in feedback as a barrier to remand.