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Security firm that failed to tag prisoners after prison release slapped with six figure fine
15 October 2024, 07:43 | Updated: 15 October 2024, 11:29
Under-fire security firm SERCO have been slapped with a six-figure fine for not fitting prisoners with tags after they left jail, LBC can reveal.
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Ministers dragged them in for a dressing down after it was revealed that some offenders, including convicted domestic abusers, had not been fitted with tags when they came out of prison.
The firm blamed a shortage of tags - and said they were only able to prioritise tagging based on the perceived risk of the offender.
But Ministry of Justice insiders had also pointed the finger at a lack of staff available to carry out the tagging, too.
It's believed to be the first time the firm has been fined since it was awarded a fresh contract with the Ministry of Justice in May.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been assured there will be extra resources in place ready for the next cohort of prisoners to be released early next week.
Around 1,700 people were released early from prison earlier last month in a bid to improve overcrowding, with more expected in the coming weeks.
As part of that - around 37 were released early by mistake - and several have been returned to custody.
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips told LBC's Nick Ferrari last month there could be hefty fines issued and said she was "apoplectic" at the mistakes.
She said: “I have been in meetings with regard to ensuring that… any perpetrators of domestic abuse, are put to the top of the list, to ensure that they are being fitted with those tags.
“The prisons minister, I believe, has had some pretty robust meetings, and is meeting with Serco today, but the contract certainly has in it the allowances for there to be penalties.
“I’m almost certain that in this case, that unless something massively improves very, very quickly, that all of those things will be considered."
Watch Again: Nick Ferrari speaks to Jess Phillips | 20/09/24
Serco previously had their deal stripped after huge failings.
The firm was previously fined £2.25m for health and safety failings that led to a prisoner kicking one of its custody officers to death.
And they were slapped with a £19.2 million fine after facing allegations of charging the government for electronically monitoring individuals who were dead, in jail or had left the country.
Meanwhile, LBC understands that tougher community sentences and scrapping short term sentences of under a year could be on the cards - as ministers prepare to launch a review of sentencing this month.
Ministers are determined to show that shaking up prison terms won't be seen as going soft on petty criminals.
The Ministry of Justice is also fighting for extra Treasury cash at the upcoming Budget and spending review to spend on more tagging and new technology to keep monitor people in their homes.
Despite releasing thousands of prisoners early this month, and with another 2,000 to be let out in the coming weeks, ministers fear they could only have until next summer before spaces run out again.
Insiders are concerned about extra pressure from those who plead not guilty to riots-related offences, which are expected to appear in court from January.
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LBC understands David Gauke, the former Tory Justice Secretary is set to lead the sentencing review, which will kick off next month.
When he was in office he had argued there was a "very strong case" for scrapping short sentences of six months or less, which he said weren't working.
Under the Tories, Rishi Sunak and Alex Chalk were preparing to ditch them for sentences of under a year - but the law was canned after the PM called the election.
Mr Gauke said last month that AI, so-called 'open prisons' and more tagging technology would help as alternatives to shorter sentences.
He told The Times Crime and Justice Commission: "Open prisons are [financially] cheaper than closed prisons and, in my view, would deliver better value for money so I think [there could be] an expansion of that. As technology becomes more advanced, through electronic tagging and potentially combined with AI in terms of monitoring, I wonder whether we can find opportunities here."
Ms Mahmood will give him six months to come forward with a string of recommendations for how to shake up the sentencing process, cut reoffending and free up more space in prisons.
One source close to her said: "We want community sentencing to be really toughened up, not just scrubbing some graffiti off a wall."
Labour vowed a review of sentences as part of their election manifesto last summer.
New prisons minister, Lord James Timpson, has previously argued to reduce prison rates and fought for better rehabilitation to slash the reoffending rate.
As former chairman of the Prisons Reform Trust, Lord Timpson argued consistently in favour of reducing imprisonment rates and improving conditions for inmates and their families.
A Serco spokesperson said: "We continue to work in partnership with the Ministry of Justice to deliver unprecedented demand for Electronic Monitoring Services. We have mobilised sufficient additional resources to deal with the numbers we have been advised to expect as a result of the prisoner early release scheme (SDS40) planned for late October.
“Our Chief Executive regularly updates Ministers and Officials on performance."
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We are holding Serco to account to address delays in fitting some offenders with tags, and have applied financial penalties against the company.
“While this issue is ongoing, we have asked Serco to prioritise tagging domestic abuse offenders to make sure their licence conditions, such as staying away from their victims, are strictly followed.”
