Bid for electronic tagging to ease pressure at Isle of Man Prison
The DHA said the Criminal Justice Police and Courts Order and the Criminal Justice Police and Courts Rules were part of wider efforts in "modernising the tools available to the criminal justice system".
'Risk-based approach'
The tags monitor a person's location and ensure they follow conditions, such as staying in on an overnight curfew, or avoiding certain areas.The department said that routine use of tagging for community orders was suspended in the early 2010s following the discontinuation of the third-party contract for monitoring services as it "did not represent value for money".But the initial phase of a new tagging pilot was completed in 2022 and had subsequently begun being used for those released on licence or parole, and more recently those on temporary release.Any person recommended for electronic monitoring as part of their bail conditions would be subject to "rigorous risk assessment first", the department said.DHA Minister Jane Poole-Wilson said the measure would "allow an alternative option to custody that both supports public safety requirements and avoids disruption of employment and other supportive factors".It would also "offer an effective non-custodial remand option to assist with management of prison occupancy on a risk-based approach", she added.The department said options were now being developed for the use of electronic monitoring as part of community-based sentences or "alternative disposals" for both juveniles and adults.The legal framework would come into effect the day approval, and would be able to be used by the courts shortly thereafter, it added.
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AS TARA Proffitt waited in her grandfather's living room, with her phone switched to record, she knew this was her final chance of justice, for her mother and for herself. Alison Connolly, was a victim of sexual abuse as a child by her father, Mark. He had also abused her daughter, Tara. 7 But it was only after Alison was tragically murdered that Tara set out to get justice for her from beyond the grave, by confronting their abuser and taping his confession. Mark Connolly was later jailed for 19 years and died in prison. Mum of two, Tara, 38, says: 'The child abuse was the catalyst for everything which went wrong in Mum's life. She was vulnerable and lacking in confidence. 'She could never stand up to her father, but she did her best for all her children; she loved us all so much and she gave us strength and resilience. 'It was that same strength which helped me confront my grandfather, before Mum's wake. I took his confession to the police, and he was arrested as a result. 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