Rape victims can be warned about attackers’ movements

Rape victims could be warned of their attackers’ movements after being released from prison under a program to be reviewed by the Spanish. prison minister.

Lord Timpson told MPs he would visit Spain to examine the country’s energy use. electronic labels It also includes a system where rape victims can request that offenders wear tracking devices after they are released from prison.

Spain has been a leading exponent of using labels both to track criminals and as a form of “house arrest” that offers society an alternative to keeping them in prison.

Lord Timpson told MPs on the House of Commons Justice Committee on Tuesday that he was “looking forward to learning how victims can get better information about where offenders are geographically”, although he has not yet been briefed on the details.

In the UK, GPS tags, often fixed to criminals’ ankles, are used to place geographical restrictions on their movements, particularly to prevent domestic abusers and stalkers from approaching their victims.

Warning for violation of exclusion zone

But Spain has taken this further by allowing courts to grant victims’ requests to track convicted sex attackers via an electronic band worn on their ankles or wrists.

The GPS band is connected to a device held by the victim that warns of violations of a minimum exclusion zone of 500 metres, as well as to a control center run by Spanish security forces that monitors all devices.

In the event of such a violation, a police patrol car will be immediately dispatched to the victim’s location.

It is based on a system established in 2009 to protect women against domestic violence. Under this program, a “women’s hub” monitors 450 tags simultaneously to ensure abusers can act on alerts of their violations.

Lord Timpson said he “very much believes” in technology for managing offenders. Research has shown that tags can cut recidivism rates by half. sobriety labels, This system, which detects whether an offender has consumed alcohol, has a 97 percent compliance rate, he told lawmakers.

They could also be used to “push” or “nudge” offenders, he said, so they can be alerted with electronic bracelets reminding them to show up for appointments.

Lord Timpson explained that he wore the sobriety label “not because I was being punished for anything, but as part of my job as a minister to see how it actually works and what it’s like to be someone who has one of those labels.” .

Amy Rees, chief executive of the prison and probation service, said tags also help police prosecute released criminals by revealing they were at the scene of a burglary or other crime when it was committed. More than 20,000 people were tagged, he said.