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Criminal Justice Hub > Tasks > What’s electronic tagging?

What’s electronic tagging? Task

Some prisoners can be released early. This allows them to live at home and to work during the final weeks of their sentence.  

They will be given an electronic tag, which is a small device fitted to the ankle or wrist. Tagging is a way of monitoring where you are and how you keep to your tagging conditions.  

There are two types of electronic tag: 

  • Curfew tags 
  • Location tags 

Which type of tag you get is decided by the court, prison governor or parole board.  

Your tagging conditions will be unique to you. They will be issued by the court or prison that you came from.  

If you have a tag, you should know your conditions already. If you don’t, contact your Responsible Officer, prison, or court. It’s important you understand all your conditions. 

Your Responsible Officer can use this information to support your good behaviour or raise any concerns about where you’ve been going.  

If you don’t stick to these conditions:  

  • Your Responsible Officer will be alerted 
  • You could be taken to court. The court could change your conditions, which could mean you are taken back into custody 

A curfew tag checks if you’re where you’re meant to be during your curfew hours, for example, your home. It will send an alert to a monitoring centre if you’re not. Usually, a curfew will mean you’re meant to be at home for between 9 and 12 hours a day. 

A location tag records your movements at all times. It checks if you’re: 

  • Going to any areas you’ve been told not to go to by the court or prison 
  • Going to appointments or other programmes that are part of your conditions 
  • Sticking to your curfew 

You must charge your location tag for at least one hour every day. If your tag runs out of battery, this is a potential breach and you could be taken to court or into custody.  

You will be told to be at home at the start of your order or licence. You must be at the approved address you chose when you were given your tagging conditions. This allows the tag and box to be installed on the first day of your tagging.  

You and the person who owns or rents the property must agree to the conditions of your approved address. You can find out more about this here  (PDF)

A measurement of your ankle will be taken to make sure the tag fits properly.  

Usually, yes. You will have to live at the same address for the duration of your curfew.  

This can only be changed in special circumstances; the prison governor will make this decision.  

The new address will need to have the same checks and you may not move in until it has been approved.  

If you have any problems or questions about your electronic tag, contact the Electronic Monitoring Service: 

You can also call EMS from the monitoring unit free of charge.