The Grahamstown district department of Correctional Services has introduced technology to supervise serious-crime offenders who are on parole 24 hours a day.
The Grahamstown district department of Correctional Services has introduced technology to supervise serious-crime offenders who are on parole 24 hours a day.
The devices were introduced on Tuesday at the department's Community Services offices in Hill Street.
The technology, which allows strong supervision of offenders, is enforced by the parole board, the department's communications manager Sivuyisile Matanga said.
The department expected to tag a total of 11 offenders from all over the region including Port Alfred, Kenton-on-Sea, Alicedale and Grahamstown by the end of this week.
The devices, which take the form of bracelets, are attached on the ankles of offenders on parole or probation in order to monitor their movements.
District communication manager Sivuyisile Matanga said, "The electronic monitoring of offenders on curfew aims to protect the public by acting as a control mechanism. It allows offenders to rehabilitate within their own home. It has the additional benefit of removing individuals from custodial settings which can reinforce their offending behaviour."
Matanga said the curfews imposed on the offenders are not as stringent as they seem, because arrangements can be made.
"If an offender wishes to leave town or has to stay beyond their curfew, they can make arrangements with the parole officer."
The electronic tag contains a transmitter which sends a signal to a receiver that transmits information via a phone line to a central computer .
The receiver has a set range and this is usually the perimeter of an individual's house.
When the tag is taken outside the range of the receiver there is a break in the signal.
This information is relayed to a central computer and processed by an officer.
The tag is designed in such a way that any violation is automatically reported to the control room within seven seconds, to enable the responsible correctional official, or police officer, to be dispatched immediately to the area.
This enables operators to effectively track offenders, virtually anywhere, on a 24-hour basis.
