E-tagging ‘may not resolve’ prison crisis

Electronic tagging of prisoners will not necessarily lead to a reduction in the country’s prison population, the Irish Penal Reform Trust has warned.

The IPRT yesterday gave a cautious welcome to plans by the Irish Prison Service for the electronic tagging of low-risk prisoners on temporary release.

However, IPRT executive director Liam Herrick said questions remained about how the system would operate and the purpose behind the introduction of tagging.