Criminal offenders will have there sweat monitored every 30 minutes as new sobriety measures are launched in the UK.
This new method, which was introduced successfully in Wales in October 2020, was launched in the UK today. Strapped to an offenders leg, the monitor will take a sample of sweat and analyse it.
The probation officer will have access to these results at all times. Provided that the results come back clear, they can continue as before. However, offenders face fines or returning to prison as a consequence of breaking these rules.
Additionally, to help the offenders remain sober, they will be offered alcohol rehabilitation.
How does it tell it is alcohol?
The monitor can tell the difference between alcoholic beverages and other items that contain trace amounts. The monitors will only be used on offenders who are 18 and over, who do not require treatment for alcohol dependence.
The monitor can also tell if someone has tried to block contact with the skin meaning it can not be tampered with. The UK is hoping this could revolutionise probation and potentially reduce re offending.
Will the new sobriety tags help?
Crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse MP seems to think positively of the new sobriety measures launched:
These tags have already bought enormous benefit to Wales since they were introduced in October, with one offender I met saying it not only changed his ways, but helped save his life.
Kit Malthouse, MP, Crime and Policing Minister
Laura Harrison, a probation officer, added her take on the positive effect she has seen as a result of the new sobriety measures.
Sobriety tags have had an enormously positive effect on the people I’ve supervised in Wales. Improving their mental health, keeping them off drink and out of trouble with the police. One man with a history of drink-related violence was given a tag for 90 days and has been sober ever since. He says the scheme helped him turn his life around.
The new measures are needed to help, in particular with the rise in drink related harm. Offering a short term solution to a long term problem. These measures are long overdue as the economic cost of alcohol related harm currently stands at £21.5 billion.
Statistics from the NHS act as proof of the pressure alcohol related pressure in society. In 2018/2019, there were 358,000 admissions to hospital as a result of alcohol. The introduction of these new sobriety measures will help reduce pressure on the NHS.
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