electronic tagging

Electronic tagging is a form of non-surreptitious surveillance consisting of an electronic device attached to a person or vehicle allowing their whereabouts to be monitored. In general, devices locate themselves using GPS and report their position back to a control centre, e.g. via the Cellular phone network. A simpler form is in regular use in the United Kingdom, where a base station is connected to a telephone line at the offender's home, and a tag is attached to the offender's ankle. If the tag isn't functioning and within range of the base during curfew hours, or if the base is disconnected from the phone line, then the authorities are automatically alerted. Instead of allowing full location tracking, this system can be used to enforce the curfews which commonly form part of community-based sentences, the conditions of parole of offenders recently released, as well as monitoring those subject to house arrest or other "Control Orders" under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005.

Electronic Tagging

See also