It's just cos you're outside.
Every year, around 60,000 tag orders are handed out.
The new ankle bracelet, 24-carat gold.
This is meant to keep more people out of jail.
It's like a prison, but for people that are not in prison.
It just makes me a youth that's made mistakes.
Offenders can live at home, but they can't go out at night.
Get in the house. I'm only having a wheelie.
INTERVIEWER: Do you sometimes carry weapons?
A metal pole. Easy to get out, easy to scare someone with.
The authorities want to put more people on tag...
Fucking crock of shit.
..but with little support to find work or housing...
The joys of food bank.
..is wearing a tag enough to keep them out of trouble?
I'm in breach of my tag right now.
I'll probably get arrested tonight, or tomorrow.
Woo!
Oh, shit!
Just had my hair cut. Looking fresh.
Feeling fresh, looking fresh. Best barber in Warrington right here.
Every two weeks, got to get my hair cut.
You've got to look good.
Always.
Might deter people from maybe looking at my ankle.
In Warrington, 18-year-old Jordan has just got out of prison
after going down for stealing a car.
As part of his parole, he has to wear a tag for 12 weeks.
That, right there.
The new ankle bracelet, 24-carat gold.
Last night, there was a fight at Jordan's supported housing.
The neighbours have complained, so he's been asked to leave.
Easy-peasy.
But being on tag means he needs a fixed address.
So, he has to find somewhere else to live.
Go to go that way.
Going to housing, cos I need to sort out a gaff as quick as possible
cos I'm getting kicked out.
I have to go back to court to apply for a change of address.
Potential outcomes are the Verve,
which is like a hostel for 18 to 24-year-olds.
But I don't know if I'll be allowed in the Verve on tag.
If I don't get allowed in the Verve, I'll be homeless.
INTERVIEWER: And then what'll happen?
I have no clue.
I've lived in care since I was ten.
So, like, residential homes of, like,
seven or more young people at a time.
I've lived in foster homes.
I've lived in pretty much anywhere you can imagine, in care.
I've been in secure units.
Obviously, I just got out of jail.
That's...basically lived there for seven months.
That's a nice bike.
I'm a newly-released, so they keep an eye on you for about six months
after you get released from prison.
Cos then they class you as a dangerous person cos of that.
Cos that's how it goes in prison.
Like, if someone looks at you the wrong way, you have to fight them.
I'm classed as a prolific offender.
When you come out of a very violent place into the public,
they have to keep an eye on you just in case you kind of go AWOL
and start, like, knocking people out for no reason and stuff like that.
Here's the coppers, heads down.
They're a bit wary of me, the police.
They don't like me very much, let's put it that way.
Jordan was caught in a stolen car with his mate Conor.
Family-size pack of M&Ms, mate. Argh!
Five-finger discount from the fucking Pound Shop and that.
This is why I love you, you know.
Where's this even going? Going to housing cos I need a house, bro.
You need a house? I need a house, yeah, man.
It's on the other side of here, innit?
INTERVIEWER: How do you guys know him, then?
Jordan? I¹m his co-D. I robbed the car with him.
They said I have to bring some documents with me
the next time I come.
Like, proof of identity, proof of income
and a letter from my social worker saying that I'm leaving care.
Let's go.
I can't believe they just kind of passed me a sheet of paper
and fucked me off.
I don't know how I'm going to get that
because my social worker's been avoiding me
for the past three weeks.
It's like a day in the life, this, innit?
Ah! Woo!
Ah!
INTERVIEWER: Tell me about this area, where you live.
It's all right, like.
A few trouble makers, like, but other than that,
it's quiet, get on with everyone.
Been in a hard life, haven't I?
Learn how to fight to survive, innit, around here?
In St Helens,
17-year-old Kian was caught with a machete
and has to wear a tag for 12 weeks.
INTERVIEWER: What do you think about him being on tag?
Best thing that could have happened to him, really.
But it doesn't affect him, you know, me paying his fine...
No, but it affects me mentally, having to be stuck in my room all day doing nothing. I know.
That's what affects me, mentally, emotionally. What helps?
Just, like, my family and that being there.
My dad was never there, my mum's always been there.
Giddy-up.
Kian lives at home with his mum Jane, sister Lauren, girlfriend Jen
and five dogs.
Right, I'm going to go throw the dog in.
What time is it, Lauren?
All right, so, you've got what? Two hours... Two hours. ..before you go in.
Have you liked having me at the house on tag?
Yeah, cos I know where you are.
But I... If you said to me, it's like the best thing...
At first, it was the best thing the police have ever done.
It affected me in a way that I didn't expect it to.
I mean, it's, like I was...my mental health.
When I'm sat there doing nothing, I end up depressed.
But, like, obviously,
when I can go out, it's a bit of freedom, a bit of relief.
You're not hanging about with the s...
Like, some of the dickheads that you used to hang about with.
And, like, going running over abandoned factory roofs and,
you know, up to no good.
What do you mean up to no good?
That kept us out of shit, we were climbing.
We were having a laugh, we were free running.
I used to run a free running session on a Friday.
And, like, obviously, we were learning a lot of kids and that
how to do front flips and, like, side flips. I miss it, me.
Kian did free running sessions at the local family centre,
but they were stopped due to a lack of funding.
To me, the government doesn't give a fuck about Merseyside.
So, it's going to be more kids ending up on tag.
It's not really their fault.
You get kids these days going around with knives and that.
I'm on tag for carrying a machete,
but I didn't have any intention of harming anyone,
do you know what I mean, like?
But you get kids going round these days with fucking axes and hammers and that.
I had an argument with a sister.
And, obviously, she told me to get the fuck out of her flat.
It was half three in the morning,
so I grabbed me dog, grabbed me bag, and me work pants, grabbed me machete and I walked out.
And then, obviously, when the police pulled me I was open,
I was honest to what I had.
And then they just brought me home and I went to court for it.
INTERVIEWER: Why did you have a machete?
Honestly, because my mate got it me for a birthday present.
I'm proud of you for sticking to your curfew.
Oh, nice one, Mum. Do you know what I mean?
Nice one. Cute, that.
It's true, though, innit?
I honestly didn't think you'd stick to it.
But he's done well.
Walsh! Can I have a pizza?
Go on, I'll come up.
Over on the Wirral, Tommy's up early before his curfew ends.
Get everything done in the morning and you don't have to do anything then, do you?
He's been on tag for four months
and he's going to court in a few weeks for a separate offence.
It's only bloody mist. It'll cool you down, that. Here you go.
You smell nice now.
INTERVIEWER: Why is it important to have a clean home?
Fuck that, it's not hard to be clean, is it?
A fucking clean home is a fucking happy home, innit?
Fuck that living in a fucking pigsty.
What time are you allowed out of the house?
At seven o'clock, I think it is.
No point staying in bed, having a lie-in. Your day's gone then.
Before my court day comes up, I need to get as much hours as I can
just in case I get guilty.
Tommy's claiming Universal Credit.
But by the end of the month,
he has to rely on a food bank to see him through to his next payment.
I'm going to go sign some paperwork, as regarding a food bank.
See what the benefit system can give me and all that.
I'm currently signed off with post-traumatic stress disorder.
But I just don't speak about it, really, to be honest with you.
So, that's one thing, I keep myself to myself.
Just for a lot of reasons.
Obviously trauma, what I've had in my life.
Military background, just all in general.
You were in the military? I was, yeah.
We're in the food bank, get another big munch for us.
Cheers, thanks very much. Bye.
Thank you.
Bingo.
Just been to the food bank, to go and get my groceries.
That's how you've got to survive, nowadays.
Political bullshit.
What did you get?
I won't know until I open it up.
Just full groceries, everything I needed.
The joys of food bank.
Tell him if he comes anywhere near me again, he will be getting it.
Back in Warrington, the fight that led to Jordan
having to leave his flat isn't over.
They come to my house with hammers, yeah?
To get his bike back.
Which I apparently stole off him, even though he gave it to me.
All right, mate, I'll let my boys know.
PHONE RINGS
Hello.
If he brings anything, I'll bring something, innit?
OK, mad.
Mad stuff. Loads and loads of mad stuff.
There was a fight last night, outside mine. PHONE BEEPS
Which wasn't to do with me.
PHONE BEEPS Bloody hell. All right, bro.
One person has said to the other that I've stole something off them.
When I haven't. I've gone, you know what?
I'm going to get all of my boys involved,
there's about 50 people and now there's going to be a big fight
on the Dakota.
It's 4pm and Kian has four hours left before his curfew begins.
I don't want it showing, cos it doesn't make you hard or nothing.
We call the tag a scally's Rolex.
It's probably the most expensive thing around here.
Loads of people end up on it.
The only time it'll tell you the time is when you've either breached
or you have been.
You all right?
Being on tag is nothing to be proud of,
it's basically just showing everyone you're the dickhead that got caught.
Since the family centre was shut down,
Kian has been boxing in his local gym.
I feel like a caged animal.
Everyone makes mistakes, don't they?
I regret carrying a knife, I regret being in stolen cars.
Some days you will feel physically drained,
because you are that used to being in.
You won't actually want to go out.
Like, you just generally want to stay in.
Just, like, one, two.
One, two, three.
Mentally, like, you start getting low moods.
Your anger and that gets worse.
Loads of people suffer with depression.
There's also different ways to go around it.
Like, the way I go around mine is I go to the gym and let my anger out.
Or wait for someone to push my buttons.
Fighting is not something that I want to do.
But fighting is something I know I'm good at.
It is trying.
If you can cope with being on tag, you can cope with a lot of stuff.
And now four.
You get used to it.
Everyone has to fight to survive.
Along with the food bank, Tommy has found other means to get by.
Do-do-da-do.
What are we up to?
Going to the shop, I need to go get some money.
What are you getting the money for?
Just to survive.
Favour to favour, isn't it?
Someone owes you money? Yeah, yeah.
One of the lads in the shops.
Tommy used to sell fake tobacco and is off to collect an old debt.
There's more money in tobacco than there is in drugs.
At the end of the day, it's costing half the money.
This shop here, this is a shit hole of a shop, like.
Did you get your money?
Got the money off his lad, he just gave me 20 quid, yeah.
Why did I get put on tag? Yeah.
It all stemmed from 12 and a half months ago,
I was selling fake tobacco.
I went into a shop, who I've got a lot of business with,
and I said, "Where's the money?"
And little old ladies heard me say, "Where's the money?"
She thought I was robbing the shop.
She just rang the police.
When the police came, I got nicked.
After being accused of robbery, Tommy was sent to Manchester,
as part of his bail conditions.
But that didn't keep him out of trouble.
I have gone to Manchester and I have had an altercation with,
three men, who I didn't know were police.
Because they didn't initially say "police"...
..when they ran at me.
That's why I got put on tag and I didn't go to prison.
I am on the trial next week, next Monday.
So, if I get found guilty of robbery...
..then, going to go to prison.
HE WHISTLES
Yeah, I might be moving to St Helens.
Jordan hasn't been able to find another place to live.
VAN HORN BEEPS
And his tag will go off at 9pm, if he's not let back into his flat.
I have to walk back to the property,
to see if they've locked it up or not.
And if they have, then I'm going to boot the front door in.
All of my stuff's in there!
In the property.
My house, my fucking flat!
They said that if I leave the property, then it's going to get
locked up, and I won't be allowed back in.
Because of the fact it happened last night and because it was noisy,
and the police turned up in everything, all of the neighbours
have complained about the noise and violence that is going on around my house.
They think I'm unsafe, because of the amount of people that have been to my house.
So, they want to move me out of Warrington,
so they can, like, monitor me.
You seem a bit worried.
Not worried.
Just hungry.
Not eaten all day, so I need to get myself something to eat.
Can you explain to me what you just did in the shop?
Got myself a packet of biscuits.
And...
..Red Bull.
How did you get them?
Five finger discount.
You didn't pay for them? No.
They didn't have any wraps in.
I was going to get myself a breakfast wrap, but they didn't have any in.
Best biscuits in the world, these. Dark chocolate digestives.
Picked these out of specials, cos they're my favourite.
Yeah, I can see the McColl's.
Last night's fight means that Jordan is having to watch his back.
Which...which McColl's are you at? You're not...
Don't film this.
What have you got? Just a bar, mate.
Where are you keeping it?
That's where.
Do you sometimes carry weapons?
If I've got a lot of people after me, at the time, yeah.
I have to, because I don't know where people are and...
..whether someone is going to be around where I live.
And what have you got?
Just a random metal pole.
Can you show me it?
Something to play with.
If someone tries to play with me.
If you don't let me back in this property, then my tag's
going to go off and you're going to get in trouble for it.
I am not moving to St Helens, mate.
Do you think I'm going to get slammed?
Do I need to bring a bag with me?
I know it's a robbery, but you know I didn't rob the fucking shop,
though, don't you?
My tag snapped.
It's all stuck in my sock.
Fucking free!
Get in the house. Fuck off!