HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has lost £98 million in a failed attempt to transform the system for electronically tagging offenders, according to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO).
Its progress update on the programme, which was launched in 2011, says that while it scaled up tagging services over time, it has been undermined by the failure to deliver the planned Gemini case management system under a deal with Capita.
This has forced HMPPS to rely on outdated technology and left fundamental inefficiencies in tagging services unresolved. The current system requires staff to re-enter information manually, which is slower and more prone to error.
Gemini was intended to improve data, streamline processes and save money. Without it, HMPPS's insights into offenders' journeys or longer term outcomes is limited. Only data on offenders' age and gender are captured, so HMPPS does not know whether tagging is proportionately applied to offenders with other protected characteristics such as ethnicity.
More generally, the poor quality data means that HMPPS still does not have evidence as to whether electronic monitoring is effective in reducing reoffending or in diverting offenders from prison.
Supplier tensions
HMPPS ran the programme through a ‘tower’ contracting approach with four different suppliers, each responsible for different elements of the programme, itself acting as the integrator.
The report says an external review of the programme found that the service did not intervene early enough to resolve issues across the suppliers, and there was a breakdown in trust and collaboration which led to three formal disputes with Capita, most recently due to delays. In addition, the service did not escalate significant programme risks to the Ministry of Justice.
In August 2021 HMPPS decided to terminate the Gemini contract, believing it brought too many risks and that continuing with the existing system would be more stable and sustainable. The NAO says this was the best decision to take at the time, but it involved a cost of £98 million.
In addition, by this time the programme – which cost £153 million between 2011-22 – was already 18 months late against its original, over-optimistic timetable.
Shift in focus
HMPPS has now moved its focus to an expansion programme, under which broader groups of offenders will be tagged, expected to run until 2024-25.
It has achieved positive outcomes in its alcohol monitoring service, reporting offenders' high sobriety rates while on tag, and launched a pilot scheme for those with convictions for theft, burglary, or robbery in April 2021, making tagging a condition of prisoners' release.
Working with the Home Office it has plans to monitor foreign national offenders using smartwatches, which capture biometric data; but these have been delayed because the operating system did not meet government cyber security standards.
The NAO says that HMPPS has made decisions to reduce delivery risks and developed a clear framework for better scrutiny, but it has a challenging few years ahead with a forecast of monitoring an additional 6,000 offenders by 2023-24, on top of the existing caseload of around 15,000.
Transformation failure
Head of the NAO Gareth Davies (pictured) said: "HMPPS has extended tagging to new groups of offenders, but it has not achieved the fundamental transformation of tagging services it intended.
“Significant work remains to strengthen the evidence base and understand the impact of electronic monitoring on reoffending. HMPPS must learn lessons so it can deliver a reliable, responsive and cost-effective service that protects the public."
