ELECTRONIC TAGGING OF some offenders will begin by the end of this year.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has signed a contract that allows for the implementation of electronic monitoring for specific categories of offenders.

The electronic monitoring project will begin this year on a 12-month pilot basis. The contract with Allied Universal Electronic Monitoring will allow for the use of between 30 and 50 tags.

These tags will be able to be used up to three times over the 12-month period. O’Callaghan said the pilot phase will allow for the monitoring of between 90 and 150 individuals.

The use of the tags hopes to alleviate pressure on prison capacity while maintaining public safety, he said.

“Public safety is a priority and considerations such as the profile of offender, nature, type and seriousness of the offence will be evaluated when assessing suitability for electronic monitoring.

“It is used in many jurisdictions as an additional tool to support the management and monitoring of offenders.”

Laws around the use of electronic tags have been approved in Ireland since 2007 and the devices were briefly used by the Irish Prison Service between 2013 and 2018 but were scrapped due to reported value-for-money concerns.

Related Reads

Crime and class: Who really ends up behind bars in Ireland?

Prisoners are being released 'within a day' of going in as repeat offenders clog up cells

New ankle monitors could be an alternative to being held on remand, Irish prisons boss says

Within that time, over 100 people were placed on an electronic tag primarily for monitoring convicted prisoners during temporary release. 

Last year, the Director General of the Irish Prison Service Caron McCaffrey told The Journal that the new system will be primarily used for people awaiting trial to cut down on the number of people housed in Irish prisons.

Funding of €2.1 million was secured for the project in last year’s budget, which will provide for staffing, procurement and other set-up costs.

The contract commenced on 14 August 2026 and has a duration of 12 months, with an option to extend for one further period of 12 months.