Electronic Monitoring Transformation Programme
Summary
HM Prison and Probation Services has launched new services, extended tagging to new groups of offenders and taken pragmatic steps to reduce delivery risks. But it has not achieved the fundamental transformation of tagging services it intended and has wasted £98 million through its failed attempt to develop the Gemini case management system. It did not manage the implications of its complex delivery model effectively, set overly prescriptive requirements and did not perform its role as systems and service integrator effectively. HMPPS’s decision to stop Gemini in 2021 was well-founded in the circumstances and protected the taxpayer from further losses. However, its lack of focus on monitoring benefits and continued poor evidence base means that – more than 10 years into the programme – Parliament still does not have a clear view on what it has achieved or whether electronic monitoring is an effective intervention. To date, HMPPS has not achieved value for money.
HMPPS has identified lessons from its management of the transformation programme. Its plans for re-procurement and transition to the new service mean it is now better placed to avoid repeating past mistakes. However, it has limited time to make the transition, and at this early stage it does not yet know how easy it will be to integrate prospective suppliers’ work. Ultimately, achieving value for money in the future will depend on HMPPS delivering a reliable, responsive and cost-effective service to stakeholders, supported by evidence that tagging brings proven reductions in reoffending and that more offenders are diverted from prison. HMPPS is taking welcome steps to identify what data and information it needs to build the evidence base. Still, significant work remains to demonstrate the value of electronic monitoring in protecting the public and reducing reoffending.