Malta Plans To Electronically Tag Prisoners So They Can Serve Their Sentences From Home
Malta could soon start electronically tagging prisoners as a means of allowing them to serve their sentences under house arrest, rather than in prison.
Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri revealed yesterday that he intends to propose such a law in Parliament, saying it will only apply to prisoners serving short sentences and those who aren’t deemed to be a danger to society.
“They will wear a bracelet around their leg so they will be constantly tracked,” Camilleri said during a debate on L-Erbgħa Fost il-Ġimgħa. “Rather than sending someone to jail for a number of months, the courts will be allowed to make people serve their sentence at home with an electronic tag.”
Such a law will go some way towards solving the persistent overcrowding problems at Malta’s prison but is sure to trigger widespread debate about the criminal justice system.
A number of other European countries have already implemented this system. For example, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was recently sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for two, for corruption. If he loses his appeal, he’s expected to serve his sentence at home with an electronic tag, rather than in prison.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Beppe Fenech Adami also participated in the debate, and while he warned of the overcrowding problems in prison, he didn’t indicate whether or not he agrees with electronic tagging.
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