Reduce reoffending with alcohol tags

37% of violent crimes in Scotland are carried out by offenders under the influence of alcohol. The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey showed that where victims were able to say something about their offender in 2021-22, almost two-fifths at 37% believed them to be under the influence of alcohol.

The Scottish Conservatives would use the existing laws to roll out alcohol monitoring tags for offenders where their crime is driven is by alcohol or they are likely to re-offend when drinking. Scottish Ministers already have the power to do this under the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 and we would only amend the existing law where necessary.

Courts would be able to impose alcohol abstinence orders on offenders. In addition, courts would be able to order offenders to wear an alcohol monitoring tag as part of a community sentence if their crime was driven by alcohol. Continuous Alcohol Monitoring tags would constantly monitor an offender’s sweat to determine whether alcohol had been consumed.

Offenders released from prison would be fitted with alcohol monitoring tags if their crime was driven by alcohol or a probation officer thinks they are likely to re-offend while drinking. As in England and Wales, there would be a stipulation that the tag must be worn for a minimum of 30 days and up to a maximum of one year.

Courts would be able to order those on bail to wear an alcohol monitoring tag if the court is concerned that they may commit alcohol-related offences. For example, if they had been previously sentenced for similar alcohol-related offences. This would be a condition of bail, and would ban the individual from drinking for up to 120 days.

Offenders who break the ban would face sanctions ranging from a fine to a prison sentence. Sanctions will be at the discretion of the court and reflect the severity of the crime but will range from a fine, to an extension of the alcohol abstinence order, to a prison sentence (or a return to prison if released on license).