Development of alternatives to imprisonment: Latvian experience of application of electronic monitoring

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Development of alternatives to imprisonment: Latvian experience of application of electronic monitoring"

Joan Arnold
5 years ago
Views:

1 Development of alternatives to imprisonment: Latvian experience of application of electronic monitoring November 2017

2 Implementation of EM Start: From June 2013 as project Increasing the Application of Alternatives to Imprisonment 85% funded by Norway Grants project ended in April

3 Project major activities to establish EM Study visits in many countries, Experience exchange - Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, England & Wales Consultation about the process on EM model, legislation, procurement - Norwegians and Estonians Internal trainings & informative seminars have trained 160 EM officers, shared information at more than 30 seminars with ~600 participants (judges, prosecutors, prison and police officers) Social publicity about EM Procurement procedure 3

4 Social campaign 4

5 Social campaign 5

6 Social campaign - publicity 6

7 Struggles Procurement issues do to delayed decisions, bureaucracy, specific, complicated information Consequences: EM regulation had been delayed coming into effect for 5 months (from February till July 2015) Short time before start to execute EM. On 6 July Contract with SuperCom LTD. On 27th August was first EM offender. On-Go we had to deal - logistic, solve some start-up technical issues (program adjustments, settings and translation corrections) 7

8 Why we need electronic monitoring? Aims: 1. To reduce the number of offenders in prisons (to reduce penitentiary coefficient) 2. To promote gradual transition from life in prison to a life in freedom 8

9 EM model Back door model. EM can be from 1 to 12 months Offenders can apply one part early than on PAROLE 9

10 EM as usual supervision EM is community supervision with additional control Risk-Needs-Responsivity assessment Time & activity schedule Supervision plan Obligations for all Additional obligation 10

11 EM job distribution 36 SPS agencies One EM center Install, uninstall devices. Create schedule, on-site control. Supervision Nonstop events monitoring, processing 24/7. Devices, equipment logistic 11

12 Released & supervised Year Released with EM Supervised with EM from July till November Total =

13 Length of EM period ~4 month 13

14 Possibility to revoke EM if During EM period usual PAROLE term has been reached and EM client exemplarily complied to all supervision conditions SPS can apply to court for EM revoke That is solely SPS competence 14

15 Revoked EM statistic SPS apply for 13 EM clients 8,5% from 153 EM period together was 131 months or 9.92 months in average Court revoked EM in all cases 15

16 PORTRAIT (EM client) Average Adult man 39 years Sentenced for drug offence usually with property/violent offence Sentenced with 7 years of imprisonment Released 2.18 years on PAROLE 16

17 Offences 153 EM clients did Narcotic substances (acquisition, storage, sale, usage) Theft/robbery Murder/severe violence (including, without intention) Other (smugglers, operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or narcotic, weapons, bribes etc.) Total number of offences = 276 On average each EM client is convicted for 1,8 offences. Considerable number violent offences 17

18 Breaches SPS requested court to return to prison 9 EM clients (5,9%) Breaches 1. usage of alcohol, didn`t comply with schedule 2. usage of alcohol, didn`t comply with schedule 3. refusal to narcotic test, didn`t comply with schedule 4. usage of alcohol, usage of narcotic 5. usage of alcohol, didn`t comply with schedule 6. didn`t comply with schedule (admits alcohol as reason) Drug issue 7 of 9 7. didn t visited probation at all 8. didn`t comply with schedule 9. usage of alcohol, didn`t comply with schedule 18

19 What are the success? Smarter criminal justice system: Alternative to imprisonment (but with effective control in society). We reduced a number of prisoners (153). Successfully supervised 94.1% EM clients. Up to now there is no information that any EM client hasn t done new offence while they are on EM program 19

20 What are the success? Productive members of society (employment, family, social capital). If EM hadn t been implemented, time what released persons would spent in prison = 620 months or ~ 51,7 years. ~ 85% EM clients have started job relations Reduced costs (comparing to imprisonment) For SPS one year for one client cost~ euro. For prison one year one prisoner cost ~ euro. Difference ~ euro 20

21 Future EM expansion - new form of prison sentence execution, front-doors model. Target group: 1. Alternative for short-term imprisonment (15 days 3 months) 2. Alternative for imprisonment (3 months 1 year) 21

22 Conclusion must pay attention procurement start early drug issue factor assessment quality, maybe some new working tools good regulations for EM expansion work instruments for short supervision periods, supervision structure continue to share experience 22

23 Thank you! Ilvars Vītols, Head of Electronic Monitoring Center e - mail: uzraudziba@vpd.gov.lv 23

GOVERNMENT OF BERMUDA Ministry of Culture and Social Rehabilitation THE BERMUDA DRUG TREATMENT COURT PROGRAMME

GOVERNMENT OF BERMUDA Ministry of Culture and Social Rehabilitation Department of Court Services THE BERMUDA DRUG TREATMENT COURT PROGRAMME Background information Drug Courts were created first in the