Glass of mulled wine could see some people sent to prison this Christmas

Around 3,800 offenders will be required to wear alcohol tags over Christmas and New Year in a bid to keep the streets safe. The technology monitors alcohol levels through sweat, preventing offenders from indulging in holiday drinks.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the tags are instrumental in combating alcohol-related crimes such as domestic abuse and public disorder. A record number of offenders will be kept sober this Christmas as part of the Government's Plan for Change, aimed at ensuring safer streets and reducing alcohol-fuelled crime.

The MoJ said new statistics released today (December 23) indicate that approximately 3,800 offenders, either recently released from prison or serving a community sentence, will be wearing an alcohol tag during Christmas and New Year.

The tags operate continuously and can swiftly detect if an offender has consumed alcohol by analysing their sweat, effectively banning them from enjoying festive beverages like mulled wine and prosecco.

The justice department said if an offender has an alcoholic drink, an alert is sent to their probation officer who can take action to punish them, such as ordering them to return to court or even sending them back to prison.

Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, James Timpson, stated: "The sad reality is alcohol-fuelled crime such as domestic abuse and public disorder spikes at Christmas and has a devastating impact in our homes and town centres.

"Technology like this is playing a key role in the government’s mission to take back our streets by monitoring offenders and cutting crime."

Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and, Breaking News group by clicking this link

According to the MoJ, the tags are precise enough to differentiate