Sobriety tags for violent drunk offenders

Tough new rules propose that offenders guilty of alcohol fuelled crimes will be fitted with tags that can detect and monitor alcohol in their bodies when they are released from prison.

The tag, which offenders may be required to wear for up to a year, will sound an alarm if it detects any alcohol in their blood via their sweat. It is hoped that this will deter them from reoffending. A pilot scheme will start in Wales and be in place in England in the summer of 2022.

Alcohol plays a part in just under 40% of all violent crime and costs an estimated £21bn per annum. It is estimated that about 12,000 offenders might be fitted with a tag.