One in seven offenders under electronic surveillance in Flanders violated their conditions last year, and as many as 245 people (nearly one in 20) even cut off their ankle monitor or attempted to seriously damage it.
Last year, 5,187 Flemish people were given an ankle monitor. Of these, 722 people (or one in seven) violated their conditions – ranging from coming home too late or being unreachable to going outside the imposed perimeter.
Worse, 245 people (nearly one in 20) cut off their ankle monitor or attempted to do so, causing serious damage to the electronic device. There were even people who committed new criminal acts while wearing an ankle monitor.
In principle, anyone who violates the conditions must return to prison if the sentencing court so decides. In practice, this did not always happen: of the 722 offenders, 644 had to return to prison.
Flemish MP Hans Bonte (Vooruit) requested these figures from Flemish Justice Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA). He wonders whether ankle monitors are really the miracle solution. "If one in seven abuses the system, then we can conclude that ankle monitors create a false sense of security in society."
