He cuts off his electronic bracelet and returns to prison. This case which occurred on July 21 in Tarn-et-Garonne raises questions about the use of this means of surveillance. Who is entitled to it? How does it work and what are its limits? We answer your questions.
Is the electronic bracelet the “miracle remedy” to reintegrate prisoners? How does it work ? Who is entitled to it? Here are some answers the day after the destruction of one of these bracelets in Tarn-et-Garonne.
Escape suspect
The 28-year-old man was arrested on July 21 by the gendarmerie in Lavit-de-Lomagne in Tarn-et-Garonne, after cutting out his electronic bracelet. He was serving his sentence at home as part of an eight-month prison sentence for “contempt of a person holding public authority and a firefighter”.
His gesture triggered the alert to the gendarmerie. By having voluntarily cut his electronic monitoring bracelet, the man is also suspected “escape and damage to a public utility good in recidivism”. He was tried in immediate appearance and again imprisoned.
11,000 new wristbands per year
House arrest under electronic surveillance (DDSSE) can be pronounced as a sentence directly by the criminal court during the judgment for sentences of less than 6 months. Detained convicted persons may also be subject to a sentence adjustment if the duration of the sentence remaining to be served is less than or equal to two years. Finally, prisoners at the end of their sentence can also request it if the duration or cumulative sentence does not exceed five years and two-thirds of the sentence has been reached.
© PHOTOPQR/LA PROVENCE/VALLAURI Nicolas /MAXPP
As of August 1, 2021, according to Ministry of Justice sources, 14,103 people were benefiting from it. But with 11,000 new bracelets per year, France is one of the European countries with the most recourse to electronic surveillance. 22% of the imprisoned prison population is concerned. For sentence adjustments, the number rises to 85%.
jail at home
The electronic bracelet contains a chip and a geolocation system. It is theoretically inviolable. It is placed on the person’s ankle and a connected box is fixed by a supervisor in the accommodation. The person agrees to stay at home at the times set by the judgment.
Wearing the electronic bracelet allows you to start a reintegration project aimed at limiting the risk of recidivism. Equipped with the bracelet, it is therefore possible to exercise a professional activity, studies, port or leisure. But if the person leaves their home outside the permitted hours, a remote alarm warns a prison guard. It is usually back to prison and new legal proceedings in case of destruction of the bracelet.
The electronic bracelet is often presented as the “miracle cure” for all prison ills. It would make it possible to reintegrate the offender, unclog the prisons and reduce the risk of recidivism. All at a lower cost. But the question of its reliability is regularly questioned.
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