REPEAT OFFENDERS IN London whose crimes were alcohol-related could find themselves wearing a ‘sobriety tag’.
A year-long pilot scheme covers four parts of London and will see the tags being compulsory for the offenders of alcohol-related offences.
Launching the devices yesterday were Matthew Mitchell of Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Steve O’Connell MOPAC non-executive adviser for Neighbourhoods & Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton, and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
The “sobriety tags” will be worn around the clock, and will enforce abstinence by measuring a person’s perspiration every 30 minutes and testing to see if it contains alcohol, reports AP.
If any trace is found, an alert will be sent to the offender’s probation officer and they can then be recalled to court, where they could face sanctions such as a fine or be re-sentenced.
While the tags register alcohol consumption, they do not monitor people’s movement or where people are.
The 12-month scheme is being trialled in four London boroughs – Croydon, Lambeth, Southwark and Sutton.
Other countries
In Nashville, Tennessee in the USA, a new bill dubbed ‘Amelia’s Law’ has introduced blood monitoring devices for someone who is paroled and has a history of drug abuse or crimes that were directly related to drugs or alcohol.
They will have to wear a transdermal device that will blood test them every 30 minutes for banned substances.
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