Electronic monitoring bill finalised, to be presented in parliament

Electronic tagging will soon serve as an alternative to prison time, after the Home Affairs Ministry finalised a draft bill to establish an electronic monitoring system for prisoners.

The bill will allow for tagging to place on the order of the court, the CEO of the Correctional Services Agency, or the Parole Board.

“The idea of this law is to have an alternative penalty,” Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said during the press conference.

Electronic tagging will only be available for effective prison penalties of not more than a year, and provided that the crime’s maximum penalty does not exceed a two-year prison sentence.

However, certain crimes will be exempt from electronic tagging. These include:

• Domestic violence
• Gender violence
• Cases where the individual is registered under Article 3 of the Protection of Minors Act
• An order of maintenance issued by the court or a contract that has not been adhered to an order for access to children by the court or a contract that has not been adhered to

Camilleri said that the system will allow for electronically tagged prisoners to go to school and work while serving their sentence.

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“If you have a person who committed a minor crime, the court can give that person a chance whereby their life doesn’t stop completely,” he stated.

A dedicated regulator will oversee the implementation of the system and evaluate that the system is working as planned. Every year, this regulator will present a report to the minister responsible covering not only the previous working year but also planning any future changes.

The draft bill will be presented to parliament once its back in session.

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