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Abstract: 

Electronic monitoring was first introduced in Spain in 2000 and is used chiefly with sentenced offenders who have been granted early release. The EM option allows prisoners to get a head start on reintegration by finishing their sentence obligations at home as long as they wear a tracking device fixed to their body. Although the technology has been in use for decades, researchers are still trying to establish under what conditions EM is most effective, and the Spanish experience with EM has until now been one of the least studied; little is known about its efficacy in reducing the rate of re-offending, or the psychosocial effects it may have on monitored offenders, important in any rehabilitative application. The present research aims to address the latter question by exploring the perceptions of a sample of 378 electronic monitoring offenders; electronic monitoring is more likely to work as an incentive to positive behavior if offenders view the experience of being on electronic monitoring favorably. Our findings suggest that electronic monitoring is not only preferred by offenders over traditional incarceration, as one would expect, but that offenders are grateful for the opportunity. Although there are some unwanted effects, such as the social stigma of being seen wearing a monitoring device, participants in Spain’s EM programs view the experience as a positive one that gets them re-united with family and re-integrated into their communities, and builds a sense of trust between the monitored individual and the justice system.

Keywords: Offender’s Views on Electronic Monitoring; Control and Punishment; Physical Inconvenience and Domestic Life; Social Stigma; Change in Routine

Affiliations:  1: University Loyola Andalucía.