When a criminal is released from jail, how do the authorities keep track of them? Apart from a home address and maybe with some criminals being outfitted with an ankle tag, it would be quite hard to keep track of where these people go once they are out of jail. However, in the UK, the government has proposed an idea of outfitting these criminals with GPS tags.
These GPS tags are expected to be an improvement over the current electronic tags which are linked to a box at a fixed address. However, with these GPS tags, authorities will be able to keep track of the real-time movement of the wearer. They can also help to create no-go zones and can be useful if they’re trying to keep the wearer away from someone or even gangs.
According to officials, they estimate that there will be about 4,000 GPS tagged people in a year, with a maximum of 1,000 tags in use at any given time. It is also expected to cost the government £9 a day and will be rolled out everywhere in England and Wales. It also seems that any criminal can be outfitted with these tags, so it won’t be limited to criminals convicted of certain offenses.
That being said, the UK government claims that the current electronic tag system will continue to be used and will not be replaced. Instead, these GPS tags are expected to act as an extra option. It is hoped that with this GPS providing real-time location tracking, it will help save police investigation time, and make criminals more compliant.