Electronic monitors to tackle prison crowding

Five prisoners who were convicted of non-violent offences have been fitted with tracking devices and released from prison early, signalling the limited introduction of electronic monitoring in the country's penal system.

The Electronic Monitoring Programme, which has been discussed since 2005, was launched in Kingston yesterday as part of the Government's plan to reduce the chronic overcrowding in the island's prisons.

Lieutenant Colonel Sean Prendergast, the acting commissioner of corrections, said the programme has the capacity to monitor 15 people, meaning that 10 more prisoners will be released "as the weeks progress".

However, in a swift response, Public Defender Earl Witter raised questions as to whether the programme, with its current capacity, would put a dent in the prison population.

Witter, who attended the launch ceremony at the offices of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) in downtown Kingston, also questioned whether prison officials have determined how many prisoners they want to release to ease the overcrowding in the prisons.

Prendergast conceded that the DCS has set "targets", but said he was not going to release that information at this time.

Under the programme, prisoners convicted of non-violent offences such as larceny, fraudulent conversion of money, and housebreaking would be eligible for early release if they meet strict guidelines developed by the DCS.

Prendergast, in an apparent attempt to allay public concerns, made it clear that only inmates who are sentenced to five years or less and who have demonstrated good behaviour while in prison are considered for the programme.

No tampering

Inmates will be required to wear an ankle bracelet - referred to as a personal identification device (PID) - that is fitted to detect any possible tampering.

DCS officials say any attempt to remove the bracelet would alert their monitoring station and give them the location of the inmate at the time.

They will also be fitted with a personal tracking device which uses a global positioning satellite to detect their movements and a repeater unit which allows them to freely move about their homes.

It will cost US$16.50 (J$1,400) per day to monitor each inmate under the programme, which had a test run in 2008 with 46 volunteers.

National Security Minister, Senator Dwight Nelson, who also spoke at the launch, said the pilot project was an "overwhelming success" that surpassed expectations.

He admitted that there were some concerns arising from the pilot project, but emphasised that those have been addressed.

With Chief Justice Zaila McCalla in attendance, Nelson pointed to cases where convicted persons are sent to prison "for what one would call a misdemeanour".

"They are not really a violent threat to society and these are some of the people, we feel, we can send out of the prisons early and free up space," he said.

Emphasising that this was not a soft-touch approach by the administration, Nelson said curfew orders would be used to place restrictions on the movement of inmates, limiting their access to certain areas at specific times of the day.

He said any inmate who breaches the programme would be sent back to prison to continuing serving original sentence.

Persons who qualify for release under the Electronic Monitoring Programme are offenders who:

1. Are considered low-risk or non-violent and who have completed at least a third of their sentence in an adult correctional facility.2. Are given conditions of their release specific to the nature of their offences. Breach of the conditions means a return to custody.3. Will have curfews placed on them (including staying indoors at certain times and not being allowed to visit specific locations).4. Will have their location regularly monitored to determine the level of compliance.

How does it work?

This form of punishment places the offender on house arrest by means of a PID (personal identification device) in the form of an ankle bracelet and a PTU (personal tracking unit) that deliver signals via GPS to a monitoring centre that is able to track the exact whereabouts of the offender using Google Earth technologies.

The tracking of these devices on the person enforces terms such as staying indoor at certain times of the day or night and not being permitted to visit certain areas. The PTU, worn around the hip in a carrying case, acts as a GPS and cellular device, which allows constant communication between the offender and the monitoring centre.

The PID has a grey band, which goes around the ankle that is connected to the main components responsible for tracking.

The device is non-intrusive and the grey band may seem penetrable, but in the event that the band is cut, the fibre-optic cable embedded in the band sends a signal to the monitoring centre with the location of where the incident occurred.

In the event a violation occurs, the monitoring centre is alerted and takes steps, which may include the person being recalled into custody.