Sexual violence has become a fact of life in our society. According to data from the Supreme Prosecutors’ office, there have been 30,000 crimes of sexual violence recorded in Korea in 2014. They take place indiscriminately, day and night, and they are on the increase. One of the major means to contain such violence against women is the electronic ankle monitor, also known as ankle bracelet. It is a homing device that defendants under house arrest or parole after being sentenced are required to wear. At all times, the ankle monitor sends a radio requency signal containing GPS location and other information to a receiver. So the police can keep track of the offenders. But the public is questioning the efficiency of such a device.
Korea had introduced this system to prevent sex offenders re-offending after they have served their sentences that can include jail time. This device is worn by people involved in rape, adultery delinquency, indecent exposure or attempted crime of violence. It is also imposed on young people involved in teenage rapes. It is seen as a youth sex protection measure. Ankle monitors are installed on people who have completed jail terms or are released on parole earlier to keep track of their whereabouts.
However, the public questions the ffectiveness of this device in preventing re-occurrence of sexual crimes. Some articles are pointing to the high rate of recidivism with the use of this ankle monitor. According to Yonhap 17/10/2017), the number of crimes committed by people wearing the electronic device increase three times from 2012. Some 95% of the 277 recorded crimes during this period – 270 –
were cases of sexual violence. The number of people wearing the ankle monitor increased nearly three times since 2012 – from 1,032 people to 2,770 people in June 2017. According to a women’s magazine, there were 2,810 people concerned as of August 2017. The reoccurrence of crime from 2012 to 2017 increased 90%. In other words, the more people wear the onitoring device, the few crimes committed.
Essentially, the reason for the rate of recidivism to increase is because of the weak points in the electronic ankle bracelet. There are four ajor weaknesses. Electronic bracelets can easily be concealed if people wear long clothing. For this reason, there is no limit to physical limitations. No matter where you go, people do not notice that the person is a sex offender. Secondly, it can be easily taken out by using tools to break the bracelet. As an example, Mr. Lee, who lives in Busan Sasang-gu, cuts his bracelet with scissors and escaped. Another example, Mr. Kim, managed to get rid of his ankle bracelet that kept transmitting location information in Busan and was traced by the police, but the man had disappeared. Third, if the wearer accidentally turns off the emitting device it is only a minor police offence, not a severe punishment. There are cases where a man turned off his electronic bracelet several times to go meet his girlfriend. He ignored a night curfew, went out to play a screen golf and drink. This is a serious situation because a second sexual attack could have happened. A man who lived three years after a rape and a homicide in 2016 was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment and fined one million won while living with his electronic bracelet turned off. Finally, it is difficult to prevent crime in advance because it is only possible to confirm the current position of the subject. Here lies the eakest point of the device: even if a person wanders around while wearing an electronic bracelet, it cannot be stopped until after a crime has been committed A case in point is what happened in a building in Won-ju, Gangwon-do, in 2017. The perpetrator broke into the house of a woman living in the same building and raped her. The police arrived after the ncident and arrested the perpetrator, but obviously could not prevent him for offending. This shows the limitation of the ankle monitoring system.
Our country is still unsafe when it omes to sexual violence. The legal system is not well equipped to prevent these crimes. One of the device manufacturers announced in February 2014 that it is forging ahead with the development of ‘electronic information bracelet (intelligent electronic bracelet)’, which is an upgrade of the current generation of electronic bracelet. The new model is yet to be released. The government should take the lead in preventing sexual violence by establishing a system other than the electronic bracelet system or revamping the electronic bracelet ystem as soon as possible.
