United Kingdom: London rolls out ‘sobriety tags’

A pilot scheme that involves tagging people who have committed alcohol-related offences in order to ensure they stay sober has been rolled out across London.

Local Gov

By Austin Macauley

February 26, 2016

The trial of ‘sobriety tags’, which monitor a person’s alcohol intake, proved to be successful in 92% of cases.

Some 113 alcohol abstinence requirement orders were made by courts during the first year of the scheme, with offenders being required to stay sober for 120 days.

The ankle bracelets measure the level of alcohol in an offender’s perspiration and those found to be breaking their abstinence orders can face further sanctions.

It is estimated that alcohol-related crime costs up to £13bn a year.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘Alcohol-fuelled crimes put a huge strain on frontline services, costing the taxpayer billions of pounds each year.

‘From assault, to drink-driving, to theft and criminal damage, this innovative technology is driving down reoffending and proving rehabilitation does not have to mean prison.

‘After such a success in South London, it’s time to roll out these tags to the rest of the capital and rid our streets of these crimes, by helping even more offenders stay off the booze and get back on the right track.’