NCJ Number
177858
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 38 Issue: 2 Dated: May 1999 Pages: 158-172
Date Published
1999
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article explores the historical background of the previous electronic-monitoring trials in England and the historical background of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, which introduced community sentences, notably new curfew orders in conjunction with electronic monitoring.
Abstract
Curfew orders with electronic monitoring were brought into the community sentencing framework of England and Wales by the Criminal Justice Act 1991. Trials of the new sentence began in July 1995 in the City of Manchester (later extended to the whole of Greater Manchester), the County of Norfolk, and the Borough of Reading (later extended to the whole of Berkshire). Over the past 2 years, results from these trials have been generally positive, and the trials have been extended geographically and in duration. In early 1998, the power to make a curfew order was extended to four new jurisdictions. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 introduced the Home Detention Curfew. From early 1999, this will permit the early release of inmates into the community for up to the last 2 months of their sentence. Those eligible will be inmates sentenced to between 3 months and 4 years custody who have been assessed as suitable for this early release program (e.g., low-risk offenders with stable accommodation). Home Detention Curfews will be available across all of England and Wales. This extension of electronic monitoring services to cover the entire country will enable a phased national implementation of curfew orders. 18 references