Curfews could put domestic abuse victims at risk
By Gemma Raw
Probation Service inspectors have raised concerns that home detention curfews placed on domestic abusers may threaten the safety of those they live with. Domestic violence is one of the most common issues encountered by professionals in social care roles. According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of police recorded domestic abuse-related crimes in England and Wales rose 6% in the year ending March 2021 to 845,734. Therefore, social workers will be alarmed to hear that the probation system may be putting potential domestic abuse victims at risk.
The report by HM Inspectorate of Probation on the use of electronic monitoring was carried out in January. Inspectors concluded that domestic abuse checks were not routinely undertaken and, even in cases where domestic abuse concerns were known, the assessment by probation practitioners was inadequate to keep people safe.
Lack of oversight
Domestic abuse checks were completed pre-sentence in only 37% of cases before an electronically monitored curfew was imposed in court. Post-sentence domestic abuse checks were carried out in some cases, but not all. There were no police checks on 46% of people on probation subject to electronically monitored curfew as part of a community sentence.
The report goes on to say, " Most concerningly, we saw incidences of curfew requirements being made that resulted in domestic abuse perpetrators being electronically curfewed to reside with potential victims." Examples of this were found in a sample of 172 cases reviewed in six areas of England and Wales during July and August last year, and it's believed that this points to a wider problem.
"The Probation Service must look at this issue urgently," commented Justin Russell, Chief Inspector of Probation. "It does not make sense to place people on curfew in homes where they could pose a risk to others."
What is Home Detention Curfew?
Often called 'tagging', Home Detention Curfew (HDC) is a scheme which allows some people to be released early from custody if they have a suitable address to go to. The person subject to the curfew will normally be expected to be at their home address for 12 hours from 7pm to 7am. An electronic tag, usually worn around the ankle, is used to check that the person under curfew is obeying the rules.
Better engagement and risk assessment
In its action plan issued in response to the report, HM Prison & Probation Service has committed to promoting better engagement between probation service practitioners, the police and social workers to improve information sharing arrangements. The HDC Policy Framework will be amended to underline that all necessary checks must be completed by probation officers before a release on HDC can be authorised. They must confirm whether the address is suitable, and the individual can be safely managed there.
In April 2021, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) issued new Domestic Abuse Guidance for social workers. Download it here. To read more news, visit our blog.
