Purpose

Following research into the application of Electronic Monitoring (EM), Criminal Justice Order (2016) no. 954 was published, which introduced EM for offenders leaving custody in England and Wales (Ministry of Justice, 2016). EM was later extended to include those subjected to release on temporary licence (ROTL). The purpose of this study is to be the first, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to evaluate a pilot project using EM during the ROTL process. The outcome allowed for recommendations to be made regarding the continued use of EM within the open prison estate.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative research project involving semi-structured interviews with staff and residents. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis which resulted in exploration of 4 themes and 11 sub-themes and recommendations for future research/practice.

Findings

Results demonstrated that both staff and residents evaluated the use of EM as helpful with regard to evidencing compliance with ROTL conditions. In addition, staff also found it helpful for providing additional reassurance to victims and providing evidence for ROTL breaches.

Practical implications

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was the first qualitative evaluation of EM relating to the ROTL process. The evaluation improves understanding of the value of EM for policymakers and the Ministry of Justice, especially in terms of the ROTL process. The recommendations made in this paper evidence the value of EM use in the future.

Originality/value

This evaluation supports continued use of EM and its integration into policy and procedures for residents subject to temporary licence. This paper concluded that consistent and reliable use of EM may contribute to victim reassurance and reduce recidivism of residents during ROTL, subsequently increasing the public’s perception of safety.

中文翻译：

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英国电子监控计划试点评估

目的

继对电子监控 (EM) 应用的研究之后，刑事司法令 (2016) 第 1 号。第 954 号公告发布，为英格兰和威尔士出狱的罪犯引入了 EM（司法部，2016 年）。EM 后来扩展到包括那些需要临时许可 (ROTL) 释放的人。据作者所知，本研究的目的是第一个评估 ROTL 过程中使用 EM 的试点项目。结果允许就开放监狱内继续使用电子显微镜提出建议。

设计/方法论/途径

这是一个定性研究项目，涉及对工作人员和居民进行半结构化访谈。使用主题分析对成绩单进行分析，得出对 4 个主题和 11 个子主题的探索以及对未来研究/实践的建议。

发现

结果表明，工作人员和居民都认为 EM 的使用有助于证明遵守 ROTL 条件。此外，工作人员还发现这有助于为受害者提供额外的保证并提供 ROTL 违规行为的证据。

实际影响

据作者所知，这是对与 ROTL 流程相关的 EM 的首次定性评估。该评估提高了政策制定者和司法部对 EM 价值的理解，特别是在 ROTL 流程方面。本文提出的建议证明了 EM 在未来的使用价值。

原创性/价值

该评估支持继续使用 EM 并将其纳入临时许可证居民的政策和程序中。本文的结论是，持续可靠地使用 EM 可能有助于让受害者放心，并减少 ROTL 期间居民的累犯，从而提高公众的安全感。