Electronic anklets fail to prevent crimes by sex offenders
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Justice ministry vows to make anklets stronger, improve monitoring system
By Lee Hyo-jin
A series of crimes committed recently by ex-convicts who were obliged to wear an electronic anklet has prompted criticisms that the tracking device is ineffective in deterring perpetrators from reoffending.
The government introduced the GPS-enabled electronic device in 2008 to keep a close watch on sex offenders after their release from prison. They are ordered to wear the tracking devices for a designated period of time, enabling probation officers to check their whereabouts in real time.
However, a number of ex-convicts have committed crimes either while wearing or after removing the electronic trackers.
Most recently, a man surnamed Kang, 56, was arrested, Sunday, for allegedly murdering two women and removing his electronic anklet.
He cut off the device at his home in southern Seoul's Songpa District at around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 27, and fled. The police launched a manhunt, and Kang surrendered himself two days later and confessed to killing the two women. He told police that he killed one victim while wearing the device at home and the other after destroying it.
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| This photo taken Monday shows the residence in Seoul's Songpa District of a man surnamed Kang, who has been arrested for allegedly murdering two women and destroying his electronic anklet. Yonhap |
On Aug. 20, a man in his 40s was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, while wearing his electronic anklet. Another ex-convict, who went missing after cutting off his anklet in Jangheung, South Jeolla Province, on Aug. 21, is still at large.
According to data from the Ministry of Justice, there have been 13 incidents this year so far in which ex-convicts escaped their electronic anklets.
Experts believe the electronic anklets cannot serve as a panacea in crime prevention, and thus called on the government keonhacai come up with better measures.
"Using the electronic tracker, probation officers can monitor only the whereabouts of the ex-convicts, not their actions on a real-time basis, which makes it less effective in preventing their crimes," Lee Yoon-ho, a professor of police administration at Dongguk University, told The Korea Times.
Lee insisted that the probation office should closely cooperate with law enforcement authorities. "Under the current system, police officers are informed about the violations only after they occur. In order to prevent further crimes, the police should also have access to the movements of the ex-convicts."
Seung Jae-hyun, a researcher at the Korean Institute of Criminology, said that the government should introduce additional measures.
"The anklets do not help authorities monitor every action of ex-convicts. More effective measures are needed such as a protective supervision system, under which sex offenders are housed in a separate facility after their release," he said.
Following public criticism over the latest murders by Kang, the justice ministry made an apology and announced a set of countermeasures, Monday.
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| Yoon Woong-jang, head of the crime prevention policy bureau at the Ministry of Justice, speaks during a briefing at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, Monday. Yonhap |
The ministry plans to make the anklets with stronger materials to prevent the wears from destroying it, while improving cooperation with the police and toughening punishment for those caught to have destroyed the device.
It also plans to increase the number of probation officers. For now one officer monitors 17.3 ex-convicts.
"We apologize to the bereaved families of the victims as well as to the public for causing concerns. We will do our best to prevent a recurrence," Yoon Woong-jang, head of the crime prevention policy bureau, said during a press briefing.
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