A service evaluation exploring staff perceptions about the use and impact of electronic monitoring (GPS tracking) in a medium secure forensic psychiatric unit (Waldron, 2025)

Ashworth, Georgia, Waldron, Gerard, Kahai, Banipreet

Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. Mar2025, p1-18. 18p. 5 Illustrations.

Available online at this link

Following a series of high-profile offenders violating leave permissions, electronic monitoring (EM) was implemented in a medium secure psychiatric hospital in a metropolitan area. Although rare, leave violation (LV) can have detrimental consequences for both patient safety and public security. EM is therefore a potential tool to negate these risks. The purpose of this service evaluation was to explore staff perceptions about the use and impact of EM. An online survey was distributed to the entire staff group at the medium secure unit (MSU), and responses were analysed using quantitative (descriptive) and qualitative (thematic) approaches. The survey received 28 responses, with 68% of respondents believing that EM has reduced rates of LV. Thematic analysis produced three main themes: perceived impact of EM on LV; change prompting removal; and concerns with EM. The findings suggest that whilst the majority believe EM to be effective, improvements in device quality and the development of clinical guidelines are required to optimise its benefits and prevent inappropriate and/or unnecessary use.