Russia starts electronic bracelet experiment for inmates

Russia is starting an experiment with electronic bracelets for convict control.

Photo: Russia starts electronic bracelet experiment for inmates

The new experiment of implementing electronic bracelets in the Russian system of penalty enforcement for controlling inmates’ behavior will begin in early October 2006. This information was provided by Yuriy Kalinin, the director of the Federal Service for Penalty Enforcement at the national prison governors’ conference.

According to Kalinin 4 locations have been chosen for the experiment: among them are the Permskiy region and a few areas in the Central Federal Region. As reported previously, the Council of Europe has allocated 1.5 million euro for the project.

The experiment will be performed according to the guidelines provided by one of the programs from the Council of Europe. Electronic bracelets will be applied in order to control the prisoners serving time for small-scale crimes. It is assumed that such control method would help prevent the inmates from committing further crimes in the future, ITAR-TASS reports.

These electronic mechanisms allow the authorities to watch their suspects 24 hours a day. They provide necessary data on inmates’ location with a precision range of just a few meters. Should the prisoner cross over into the territory forbidden for him, the superintendent would receive a notification immediately.

Currently the Russian legislation allows for this type of control only within the penal colony settlements. Meanwhile the electronic bracelets are used widely in the European Union countries and in the United States . Approximately 200 thousand of such devices are currently being used by the penitentiaries worldwide.

Pedophile watch is led from a satellite in Great Britain.

Since the end of September 2004 England has been implementing the system of satellite watch to supervise the habitual offenders and pedophiles. It was the first time the satellite technology in Europe was applied to goals of such kind.

Mostly thieves, burglars, car stealers swear an obligatory wearing of the electronic devices when they are let go free before the scheduled release time, when they are conditionally convicted or sentenced to do corrective labor.

If the lawbreaker crosses the prohibited territory the police become notified. The mechanism also reports when a previously convicted sex offender approaches territories such as schools or children playgrounds.

Currently such measures are applied in Manchester , West-Midlands and Hampshire. In case of the experiment’s success the satellite-supervised territory will expand to encompass all of England and Wales. So far nearly 5,000 serial criminals are wearing the watch devices.

Newsru.com

Translated by Natalia Vysotskaya
Pravda.ru