Electronic monitoring and reintegration in Belgium

Abstract

Electronic monitoring (EM) was introduced to Belgium in the late 1990s and ever since its use has been changing and expanding. The objectives and political discourse driving the introduction and expansion of EM have varied between encouraging (re)integration, solving the prison overcrowding and increasing the credibility of prison sentence execution. This article describes the evolution of EM and focuses on the shift from the EM-practice of balancing technical control and supervision towards the ever more expanding EM-use prioritising technical control. Where EM was formerly an individualised integrated measure in a broader rehabilitative framework, its use for a large number of prisoners has evolved towards the use of EM as a stand-alone measure. As such, we are witnessing a shift from ‘active’ to ‘passive’ reintegration for the majority of those being subjected to EM.