Ministry of Justice is planning ankle fragment: cost savings or danger?

Ministry of Justice is planning ankle fragment: cost savings or danger?

Österreich - The Ministry of Justice in Austria is planning an extended expansion of the electronic house arrest, also known as an ankle bracelet, for prisoners. This step takes place against the background of a tense budget situation. The freedoms (FPÖ) support this project for financial reasons, but at the same time demand an exclusion of certain groups of perpetrators from this system. National Councilor Christian Lausch (FPÖ) made a parliamentary request to Justice Minister Anna Sporrer (SPÖ), in which he spoke to 15 specific points. In particular, people such as Afghans, Syrians, Islamist endangers and violent perpetrators should be excluded from the electronically monitored house arrest.

The use of ankle cuffs has proven to be cost -effective. The costs for the electronic house arrest amount to around 47 euros per day and sponsors, which is much cheaper compared to the expenses for an detention day. Last year, around one million euros were saved by doubling the ankle bondage. Nevertheless, there were also relapses: 77 criminals had to go back from the house arrest, almost half of them due to new crimes.

regulations and requirements for house arrest

The electronically monitored house arrest (Eüh) enables prisoners to spend their punishment under control in a suitable accommodation. Applications for this form of enforcement can be made both before the punishment and implementation occur. The head of the responsible prison makes the decision on the application. The prerequisites for a permit include, among other things, that the remaining penalty period must not exceed twelve months and that suitable accommodation is proven. Regular employment and sufficient health and accident insurance coverage must also be given.

The regulations state that during the Eüh the \ (while \) must remain in their accommodation and pursue suitable employment. The accommodation may only be left for certain purposes and in given periods. In order to avoid abuse of the house arrest, a positive prognosis regarding compliance with the conditions is necessary. In this regard, the living conditions, the social environment and possible risk factors are checked.

Special requirements for sex offenders

For sex offenders, additional criteria apply that required to have served at least half of the prison sentence or at least three months. A qualified favorable forecast is also required in order to exclude possible abuse cases of the house arrangement. Victims of sexual offenses have an expressive right to make decisions that affect the electronically monitored house arrest of the perpetrator, especially if you have previously applied for information about upcoming layoffs.

The electronic house arrest was introduced in Austria in autumn 2010 and is primarily aimed at socially integrated people. The condition and monitoring during the Eüh are comprehensive and must be checked regularly. Early termination of the house arrest is rare, but can be done due to misconduct, job loss or termination of rental contracts. Control of the surveillance is ensured by a headquarters in Vienna, which monitors the data of the ankle bondage.