Ankle bracelets rarely used for Thuringian offenders
In Thuringia, ankle bracelets are only used relatively rarely on convicted criminals after their release from prison. The number of cases has fluctuated between four and seven per year since 2019, according to an answer from the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior to a question from CDU interior politician Raymond Walk in the state parliament.
Electronic whereabouts monitoring can be ordered by a court if there is a risk that convicts will reoffend and commit serious violent or sexual offenses. The electronic ankle tag has been used four times so far this year. According to the Ministry of the Interior, there were six cases in the previous year and seven in 2021. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the duration of use was usually a few months, but could also be up to two years.
"The ankle bracelet for monitoring released sex offenders has proven itself as a repressive measure," explained Walk. During the so-called supervision of conduct - i.e. when released offenders are still under supervision - they could be ordered by the court.
Walk called for an examination of "whether ankle bracelets could also be used in future as a preventative measure by the police to avert danger." Such a regulation could be made by the state parliament as legislator. He cited the risk of domestic violence as a possible area of application. "Here, courts can prohibit perpetrators from approaching the victim's home." And this could be monitored electronically.
The state of Hesse had submitted an initiative to the Conference of Ministers of Justice which provided for the use of electronic ankle bracelets in escalation cases to monitor measures under the Protection against Violence Act. The CDU MP called on the Thuringian state government to follow the example of Hesse "and to examine the legal, organizational and practical framework conditions for the extended use of ankle bracelets". The police and judiciary, as well as the data protection authorities and victims' associations, should be consulted on this.
Since 2012, the Joint Electronic Monitoring Center of the Federal States (GÜL) has been monitoring and supervising criminals who are subject to electronic monitoring of their whereabouts.
In the debate about expanding the use of ankle bracelets in Thuringia, CDU interior politician Raymond Walk suggested that they could be used as a preventative measure by the police to avert danger, particularly in cases of domestic violence. The state parliament has the power to pass legislation enabling this extension of use.
The Thuringian Parliament, in its response to concerns about justice, is currently considering the possibility of using ankle bracelets not just as a post-release measure, but also proactively to prevent serious crimes, such as domestic violence, by monitoring offenders' movements electronically.
Source: www.dpa.com
