Punishment at home: Offenders’ experiences with electronic monitoring

Abstract

As an increasingly popular alternative to prison sentences, electronic monitoring is assumed to generate fewer side effects and to be more humane than imprisonment. While most research on electronic monitoring focuses on its financial or technical implications for penal policy, or on numbers and recidivism, this article analyses the experiences of 27 Belgian convicted offenders with electronic monitoring. Overall, most preferred electronic monitoring to prison, but this was not the case for all the offenders and every circumstance. These findings show that electronic monitoring cannot necessarily be considered a ‘softer’ alternative to imprisonment. The results imply that, as well as reducing over-population in prisons, electronic monitoring may contribute to a decrease in risks for society and the positive empowerment of offenders. Such empowerment can increase their chances of living a crime-free life, which means electronic monitoring can be considered an important step forward for offenders in regaining control over their own lives.