The tags have had a mixed reception

The electronic tagging scheme is being extended to allow prisoners to be released earlier and cut the prison population.

Offenders being given the tags and made to obey a strict curfew can now be released 135 days earlier rather than the current 90 days, Home Secretary David Blunkett announced.

The extension will place an extra 1,000 prisoners on early release in addition to the 3,000 currently tagged under the scheme.

The prison population is at a record high of over 73,000 in England and Wales.

Releasing more prisoners will cost money, with an extra �36m spent over the next three years on the tagging Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme and on other projects, Home Office minister Hilary Benn said.

The tagging scheme was last extended in October, when the threshold moved to 90 days from 60.

As well as easing population pressures, curfews can contribute to cutting re-offending David Blunkett

The Budget saw a total of �174m given to the Home Office to spend on the prison system, and much of it will go on creating 1,000 new prison places.

Among the expansion will be 80 places in new "intermittent custody centres" which allow criminals to continue in jobs and keep in touch with their family, while serving weekends or evenings in jail.

Overcrowding continues

Most of the new prison spaces will be in place by the end of 2004, with England and Wales' prison capacity 78,700 by 2006, Mr Blunkett said.

Even the most optimistic Home Office predictions suggest the prison population will be 86,700 by that time, suggesting overcrowding is here to stay.

Mr Blunkett said: "We will increase the support given to prisoners to address offending behaviour and to maintain links with the community that we know keeps re-offending rates down."

Only prisoners sentenced to less than four years' imprisonment are eligible for tagging.

In addition, many offenders are not allowed early release, including those convicted of sex, child cruelty and racially-aggravated crimes.

The tagging places are likely to be available by the summer.

More than 67,000 prisoners have been released under tagging since it was introduced in January 1999 - less than 3% reoffend after being let out early and 90% complete the scheme successfully.

Mr Blunkett said: "It has proved to be a successful scheme with impressive results.

"Re-offending rates, over the first six months, are lower for those granted HDC than for those released without curfew.

"Only a small minority offend whilst on HDC and as well as easing population pressures, curfews can contribute to cutting re-offending."