Abstract
The growing use of various methods for electronic monitoring (EM) in the Western criminal justice system has led researchers to examine the social and personal consequences of this type of monitoring. This article examines perceptions toward the EM program among supervised released prisoners and their supervisors in Israel. Questionnaires were given to all released prisoners participating in the EM program in 2010, as well as to 12 supervisors and Parole Board members. The EM program’s strong focus on occupation, therapy, and developing a good relationship with a therapist, compared with the alternative of continued custody, appears to have led most released prisoners to express, or at least declare, a high level of positive expectations for the future and a sense of partnership with the normative circles surrounding them. However, supervisors expressed a high level of ambiguity over the program’s goals and operational protocols. While program supervisors emphasized the importance of the rehabilitation and therapeutic elements of EM, Parole Board members showed mixed reactions toward the program.
Highlights
In January 2006, the Israeli Interior Ministry launched an electronic monitoring program for detained prisoners and prisoners released on license
As in other studies conducted in the West (Nellis & Bas, 2012; Hucklesby, 2009), Israeli supervised released prisoners reported that the main negative consequences of participating in the project are finding a “good” job, and the feelings of shame attributed to wearing an electronic bracelet
From the content analysis we performed on the interviews, we learned that participants felt disoriented and uncomfortable when asked to discuss the issue of which prisoners are suitable for the electronic monitoring (EM) program
Summary
In January 2006, the Israeli Interior Ministry launched an electronic monitoring program for detained prisoners and prisoners released on license. Towards the end of 2006, the Israeli Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority began the EM program for prisoners released on license (for a description of the Israeli Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority’s work, see Amir, Horowitz & Sagiv, 2005). The majority of those on the Israeli EM program are male, and the monitoring period is usually one year (for longer prison terms, the monitoring period is two years). Most prisoners in the EM program receive some type of therapeutic or occupational supervision, and some continue with this even after the EM period is over (Shoham, Yehosha, Efodi, & Diamant, 2010)
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