Electronic Monitoring in Belgium: A Penological Analysis of Current and Future Orientations

Abstract

Electronic monitoring was introduced nationwide in Belgium in 2000 and has expanded ever since. Currently important changes are taking place, radically transforming its operation and nature. The aim of this article is to describe and critically discuss the current shift in EM discourses and practices in Belgium from a penological perspective. We start with a brief sketch of the historical evolution of EM, explaining the penal and political context in which EM emerged and was further established, what goals it was supposed to meet and how these goals and practices shifted. With the new regulations of 2012 and 2013, both the rationale and the technology of EM have further evolved. These recent evolutions will be illustrated and situated in a consideration of the wider transformation of punishment in the community.