The Impact of Wearing an Electronic Monitoring Device

Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor, One Small Thing

In the next in her series of blogs Lilly Lewis, our Women’s Involvement Advisor, discusses what impact wearing an electronic monitoring tag can have for women. In 2021 the Government announced their plans to invest £183 million into the expansion of electronic monitoring – including through the use of GPS, and alcohol monitoring tags. In this blog, Lilly shares her own experience of wearing a tag, and reflects on the Government’s latest plans to further expand tagging for thousands more people leaving prison.

Once I had pleaded guilty to my crime, the judge and Crown Prosecution deemed I was possibly a flight risk and therefore ordered me to Home Detention Curfew (HDC). I was I had not been on HDC before, and I wasn't sure how it would work.

I received a phone call from a woman from the tag company who was really nice and agreed to come to my house that afternoon before 9 PM. When she arrived at my house she handed me a leaflet explaining how the home detention curfew worked and attached a box to my telephone line. She explained that this would set off an alarm if I was outside during my curfew times which was 9 PM to 6 AM.

She attached the tag around my ankle. It was bulky and bigger and heavier than I thought it would be. She then asked me to walk around the parameters inside my house. She asked me to put my right leg which had the tag on inside the bath to get to the wall in the bathroom. I was allowed halfway up my garden. Quite often women are not even allowed in the garden so I was lucky to have this.

The device around my ankle was so bulky that I was glad it was Winter because then I would be able to wear trousers and boots, and people wouldn't be able to see it. Wearing a tag you feel controlled and stigmatised. It makes you feel paranoid with them knowing your every move. I felt like my freedom had gone from that minute.

I would have to wear the tag for 31 days. At this point I knew that I was going to prison. I had 31 days till sentencing, and I started to drink alcohol chaotically. I remember one night it was 8.45 and I thought I needed to get some wine. I remember running as fast as I could to the shop to buy the wine to be home before 9 PM.

Sobriety tags, to detect whether those who commit alcohol-related crimes have broken drinking bans, were rolled out across England in 2021. The Ministry of Justice has described alcohol as being a common factor in violent assaults, including on partners, family members or total strangers. In Wales it was reported that offenders stayed sober for more than 95% of days monitored, and that those tagged in England stayed sober 97% of the time. However, there is no research on what happens after this period and if it actually helps in the longer term.

Under the Government’s new plan to expand GPS tagging, 2000 more offenders are to have their whereabouts monitored when leaving custody. The sentence length when these tags can be used has been reduced from one year to 90 days, so if you have a sentence of 90 days or more you could be released on tag. This would make me question whether we should be sending people to prison on a sentence less than 90 days, as we know that no rehabilitation can be done in this short time frame, and no substance misuse work could be successfully achieved. 

I also feel that if you have completed your 90 day sentence, you should not be further punished by wearing an electronic tag. This causes further stigma for women and will also affect their children. A lot of women in custody have suffered domestic abuse - over 50% of them. These women have been monitored and controlled by their partners or ex partners, and being monitored by a tag can further traumatize you even though you’re observing your sentence.

If tagging is used, it should be an alternative to placing women in custody on remand, and in many cases instead of custodial sentences for women. Electronic tagging should not be an additional punishment once your sentence is complete.

When a woman wears a tag there is a stigma. I think it is extremely visible and must be embarrassing at school gates for mum and her children. It identifies that you have committed or have been accused of committing a crime.

For so many women who have been controlled throughout their lives this feels like the worst control ever, where you know that the authorities know where you are at all times. 

Written by: Lilly Lewis, Women’s Involvement Advisor at One Small Thing