Moldovan government approves draft law on electronic monitoring of convicted persons

Chisinau, 5 May /MOLDPRES/- People released from criminal punishment will be monitored electronically. This is stipulated in a draft law approved by the government today.

The document sees that the concerned people will be supervised by GPS systems, fixed or mobile equipment. Thus, the convicts will bear bracelets and transmitters, signaling by phone the violation of areas in which they are allowed to be. If the monitored citizen violates the rules of electronic monitoring, the probation counsellor will be able to submit a petition to court for cancellation of release from punishment and sending the person in prison. For the beginning, the authorities estimate that 100 people will be monitored, with their number due to reach 500 in 2018.

The electronic monitoring could be also applied to prisoners moving without escort and to those leaving the prison for a short period. Under the draft, the expenses for exploiting and maintaining the e-equipment will be from the state budget.

Statistic data shows that the number of people convicted with conditional suspension of punishment execution has increased over the last years. In 2011, there were about 4,000 such convicts.

(Reporter C. Russu, editor M. Jantovan)