crime
Hesse wants ankle bracelets for women beaters nationwide
According to an initiative from Hesse, the electronic ankle bracelet is to be introduced nationwide for violent offenders against women. photo
© Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
How can women be protected against violent partners or ex-partners? Hesse’s Prime Minister wants a change: Ankle shackles are to be used to warn when perpetrators approach their victims.
The Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) wants to use his own words for a nationwide electronic tag for violent offenders against women. Rhein told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ): “Proximity bans often don’t work because they can’t be controlled sufficiently. We will therefore propose an amendment to the Protection Against Violence Act at the next conference of justice ministers, which provides for the use of ankle bracelets in these cases.”
If someone then approaches a woman’s apartment without permission, for example, no matter where in Germany, the local police in Hesse will be informed and can immediately initiate averting the danger. “We think it makes sense for the perpetrator to notice that the police are going to intervene the first time he violates it. This way, women can feel safer again,” said Rhein. It is no longer accepted in Hesse that women are victims of violence by their partners and ex-partners.
Effective surveillance of criminals
The Federal Criminal Police Office reports more than 143,000 cases of violence in partnerships in 2021, and the number of unreported cases is considered high. 113 women and 14 men died accordingly. In the event of bodily harm or massive threats, courts can, under the Protection against Violence Act, forbid the perpetrator to go into the shared apartment or to approach the victim’s apartment.
In March, Rhein had already called for increased surveillance with ankle cuffs as part of the CDU election campaign before the Hessian state elections on October 8th. The federal chairman of the victim protection organization Weißer Ring, Patrick Liesching, had previously spoken out in favor of better protection with electronic ankle bracelets.
“We absolutely need effective monitoring of criminals who violate the Violence Protection Act and call on politicians to act quickly,” the lawyer told the German Press Agency in October. “We know of a number of cases in which judicial prohibitions on approaching were issued and a killing nevertheless took place,” said the prosecutor. “The majority of cases could be prevented with effective electronic surveillance.”
Control by GPS
Hessen already heads a body for all of Germany that monitors the use of the ankle bracelet in other areas of application, said Rhein. “We can build on that.”
Other criminals can already be monitored with ankle shackles in certain cases on court orders. GPS is used to track where they are. Reports from the devices are received at the “Common Electronic Monitoring Center of the States” in Weiterstadt, Hesse. The social workers and officials there then contact the offender concerned to clarify what is going on and pass on information to the police and local probation service, who intervene on site if necessary.