As recently reported in The Irish Times, responsibility for electronic tagging is set to be outsourced to a private provider, framed as a practical response to prison overcrowding and operational strain. Electronic tagging is not simply a technical service or an administrative convenience. [ Prisoner electronic tagging first part of criminal justice system to be privatisedOpens in new window ]Responsibility for electronic tagging is set to be outsourced to a private provider. The argument that the State currently lacks the capacity to manage electronic tagging internally should give pause rather than comfort. The question Ireland should be asking is not whether outsourcing electronic tagging will relieve immediate pressure on prisons.

Source: The Irish Times January 15, 2026 09:10 UTC