In the aftermath of several terror attacks in Germany, politicians and journalists are debating whether such violent acts could be prevented by the use of electronic ankle bracelets for radicalized individuals known to authorities, referred to in German as "Gefährder" ("endangerers").
The discussion is getting pretty heated, but it's important to keep some basic truths in mind about what such a system can and cannot do: "Offender tracking systems" are useful to support offenders who actually want to reintegrate into society.
They can also serve to spare an accused suspect investigative jail time or to enable sentenced prisoners on work release programs to go to work during the day. Some prisoners may also serve their sentence in house arrest wearing an ankle bracelet.
A precondition for the successful use of "offender tracking" is that the offender in question actively supports the program and has no reason or incentive to flee. It must be clear to the participant that the ankle bracelet - or another less intrusive monitoring method - is the lesser evil compared to spending time in prison.
Ankle bracelets cannot prevent determined violent offenders from committing a crime. Criminals who are planning to flee and go into hiding will be able to do so. The bracelet can easily be removed with a strong pair of scissors. And if someone plans a suicide attack, an offender tracking system isn't going to stop him, anyway.
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A judge decides about the monitoring level
Offender tracking was first introduced in the US. Some states in Germany agreed to jointly implement the system five years ago. A central computer collects data from the monitoring devices. So far, the program only includes sentenced offenders on work-release programs or on probation, and accused suspects who are awaiting trial.
But not all of these people are actually wearing an ankle bracelet monitoring their movements. There are different kinds of monitoring devices, including less intrusive ones. Which of them is right for the respective offender depends on the gravity of the crime, the willingness of the person to leave the criminal past behind and the offender's overall behavior.
A warning signal to the one who wears it - and to potential victims
The actual ankle bracelet is mostly for culprits who are strictly banned from leaving or entering certain areas. This would apply, for example, to someone on house arrest, but also to a potentially violent ex-husband who is banned from approaching the home or workplace of his former wife or his children's school.
