Ministers Consider China-Style Surveillance for "Virtual Jails"
Ministers are exploring the use of facial recognition cameras, similar to those used in authoritarian states like China, to monitor released prisoners as part of the development of "virtual jails," Trending In The News can reveal. This plan aims to alleviate the strain on overcrowded prisons but may spark concerns among privacy advocates.
State-of-the-Art Technology to Monitor Offenders
Government sources have disclosed that cutting-edge technology could be employed to oversee offenders reintegrating into society after their release. An insider mentioned, "We need to take cues from surveillance states that monitor their own citizens and apply similar tactics to manage our criminals."
Enhanced Monitoring with GPS Tags
In addition to using advanced cameras, the proposed "virtual prisons" would likely incorporate a widespread use of GPS tags to track individuals. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood highlighted that punishment outside of prison could be more restrictive than incarceration, emphasizing the strict monitoring measures in place for individuals under home detention curfews.
Ms. Mahmood stated in the Commons, "Those under home detention curfews are in practice under a form of house arrest, with a tag on their ankle, and a sensor in their home, they are placed under curfews, generally for 12 hours each day. And should they break that curfew, they can be picked up and if needs be, locked up."
She added, "In some ways, punishment outside a prison can be even more restrictive than prison."
