According to a police spokesman, the suspect in the fatal stabbing in Bladel was wearing an ankle bracelet. Soon after the incident, it became known that the 18-year-old victim was wearing a judiciary ankle bracelet. That armband was seen in the victim’s photos. The two boys knew each other and had been at odds before.
During the night between Saturday and Sunday, police arrested an 18-year-old boy suspected of involvement in the fatal stabbing. The day before, a boy, also 18, was found seriously injured in the driveway of a house in Dissellaan in Bladel. He died instantly from his injuries.
Photos from the incident showed the victim wearing an ankle bracelet. The suspect also wore such a sash. A police spokesman confirmed the latter. Both boys live in Bladel. Police would not say why the suspect was wearing an ankle bracelet.
Keep your eyes open
Anklets are used to control suspects and inmates who are not to remain in prison. They have to stand in a certain area with their anklet, which contains a transmitter: a zone commandment. Or they can’t go somewhere: zone ban. Like in a football stadium or near a victim.
Control room employees can continuously see on one screen where someone is and if they are in the right place. If someone tries to break the ankle bracelet, an alarm will sound. The control room employee will then immediately call the police.
An advantage of the electronic ankle bracelet is that a suspect or detainee can continue to go to work or school. He or she may also continue to see a partner and children. If a detainee does not return home at the agreed time, he can still be locked up.
Research shows that inmates who serve their sentences at home with an ankle bracelet are less likely to return to prison than inmates who spend their sentences behind bars. There are also disadvantages. An ankle bracelet makes it easier for a suspect or convicted person to stay in touch with other criminals.
No substitute prison sentence
Electronic supervision has existed in the Netherlands since 1995, a form of electronic house arrest in combination with community service. The ankle bracelet is also used as the final step to a prison sentence. It is not intended to replace remand or imprisonment. Throughout 2021, a total of more than 3,600 people wore an ankle bracelet. It was about the same number as the year before.
Justice explains how the ankle bracelet works (source: National Government):
