Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service required introduction of GPS ankle tags and the associated monitoring service across England and Wales for the courts and Parole Board to use as a bail/sentencing/release option. The introduction of the new monitoring capability was the most significant change in electronic monitoring since the introduction of curfew tags in 1999.
This programme required a considerable amount of coordination and collaboration across multiple agencies including courts, police, prisons and Parole Board, as well as the tag providers and monitoring services. In addition, the independence of the judiciary and Parole Board posed a challenge in achieving uptake of the new tags; a sensitive approach to engaging with these stakeholders was required.
We built relationships with key stakeholders across the agencies and organised a series of workshops to design a service that met the conflicting needs.
We created a comms and engagement strategy tailored to each stakeholder group. Alongside branding, desktop guides, and videos, we tagged influential leaders including the Lord Chancellor to promote the benefits of tagging. We regularly monitored uptake and designed initiatives to target particular areas where uptake was weaker.
- A brand new monitoring service operational within 6 months
- Almost 2,500 offenders and defendants more robustly managed in the community, reducing the pressure on the prison population
- New ways of collaborating across the disparate criminal justice system firmly established
Our work was recognised by the Civil Service, with a Certificate of Excellence awarded for “exceptional contribution to the Operational Delivery Profession”.
