Multiple reports say the Ministry of Justice acknowledges shortcomings in England and Wales’ electronic monitoring programme. The outlets state that some offenders who are ordered to wear electronic monitoring devices were not fitted with the tags by the end of March. One figure cited is 5,450 offenders who, according to the Ministry’s admission, were not wearing the devices at that time despite being subject to tagging requirements. The reports describe this as an administration and delivery failure within the Justice system, characterizing the programme as under-performing. They also note that the issue raises public-safety concerns and is discussed in the context of proposed policy approaches connected to “soft justice.” While the articles focus on the scale of the non-compliance with tagging instructions, they do not provide additional detail on the reasons offenders were not fitted, such as operational delays, assessment processes, or removals. Overall, the sources agree that the Ministry’s acknowledgement indicates a gap between ordering tagging and ensuring the devices are actually worn by all intended individuals.