Monitoring at the ankle proves its worth

Electronic Monitoring (EM) stands for the electronic monitoring of the whereabouts or presence of persons (criminals or accused persons). A transmitter on the person's ankle reports to the EM system where the person is and when. In this way, it is possible to check whether the person is complying with any house arrest or rayon ban. EM cannot be used for dangerous persons, as the authorities write. The system is primarily used to check whether a person can comply with the conditions imposed on him.

Two pilot plants

The Zurich Office of Corrections conducted extensive preparations to lay the groundwork for the introduction of EM in the canton of Zurich. Also involved in this preparation were the Adult Criminal Prosecution, the Chief Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, the courts and the cantonal police.

In July 2015, the Directorate of Justice and Home Affairs started with practical applications in the monitoring of correctional loosening of young offenders in the Uitikon Measures Center as well as in juvenile criminal law interventions of the juvenile prosecution offices. A total of 19 juveniles and young adults (accused or offenders) were subsequently monitored with their consent during the pilot operation. The focus was placed on monitoring based on GPS.

Findings from the pilot operation

According to the government's statement, the evaluation of the pilot operation shows that electronic monitoring has proven its worth in practice. In various cases observed, EM has contributed to the fact that affected persons were better able to maintain a structured daily routine than without EM. EM has a strong psychological effect and can be used well to verify conditions. EM can also be applied quickly and gives the person concerned rapid feedback on any misconduct.

Conversely, it should be noted that EM cannot prevent crimes. Moreover, EM is not to be applied in isolation, but most promisingly together with socio-educational or therapeutic support.

The pilot operation was completed in April 2016. Since then, the pilot has been continued on a regular basis. With the successful EM rollout, the canton of Zurich is ready for the implementation of the revised penal code as of January 1, 2018, which provides for short custodial sentences to be enforced in the form of electronic monitoring, the media release concludes.

Press release Canton. Zurich, Directorate of Justice and Home Affairs Office of Corrections