Home Detention Curfew (HDC)

Home Detention Curfew (HDC)

  • Home Detention Curfew (HDC), or a ‘tag’ as it is commonly known, is a scheme that allows certain prisoners to serve the last part of their sentence at home, or at another suitable address, for up to a maximum period of 6 months. Anyone on HDC will be on a curfew and not allowed out from the address between certain times. He or she will wear an electronic tag. If they leave their home during their curfew time or tamper with the equipment they can be sent back to prison. It applies to short-term prisoners. The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 introduced a similar scheme for long-term prisoners, known as a reintegration license.
  • We strongly believe that enabling a prisoner to serve part of their sentence in the community can help their reintegration. While services in prison can prepare an individual for integration, ultimately, prison is a very artificial environment in which to build the relationships, capital and hope required for successful reintegration. True integration can only occur in the community. As always, it is vital that appropriate support is provided along with the tag, and that this addresses wider issues of need.
  • We are troubled by the ineffective use of the current process. The current application process for HDC is a protracted and complex one. Despite a change in guidance to remove the presumption against it within a more sophisticated and robust system of individual risk assessment, the number of people released on HDC has plummeted over recent years. We do not believe that it is credible that there are fewer than 80 people out of approximately 8,000 in the whole prison estate who could safely be released on HDC. It has thus not helped to safely reduce the prison population as intended.
  • Our view is that SPS are best placed to make decisions to release prisoners on HDC, but that the process by which this is done should involve less personal discretion being afforded to individual Prison Governors.
  • Provision for the monitoring of, and appeals against, decisions should also be made.