Microchip prisoners to track their movements 24/7, tech bosses tell minister

Inserting microchips under prisoners’ skin to track their whereabouts has been floated as an idea within the Government.

“Subcutaneous tracking” was put forward by tech firms to Lord James Timpson, the prison minister, as a way of monitoring the movement and health of prisoners in real time.

The proposal was part of a wider discussion on a “technology-enabled justice system” between the prisons minister and tech giants on what the future of incarceration could look like.

Other futuristic ideas floated in the discussion were driverless vehicles to transport prisoners, AI-generated risk assessments of individuals and robotic prisoner officers, who can “contain” offenders, Inside Time reports.

At the table were Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Palantir, IBM and Serco, who are a private prison operator in the UK, all attending an event put on by industry lobby group, Tech UK.

Lord Timpson, son of Sir John Timpson who founded the service retailer Timpson, told the tech firms: “Once-in-a-generation reform is the only way we can truly deal with the scale of the crisis, cut crime and speed up justice.”

He added he wanted tech to “play an integral role” in handling the issues of the day and ultimately, “making our streets safer”.

The Labour peer concluded it was “just the start of a new conversation” between his department and the tech titans.

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