New e-bracelets present alternative to institutional confinement — justice minister

AMMAN — Around 1,500 detainees who have not received final court rulings will be freed again under an electronic tagging scheme. This is the first of its kind in the Kingdom, and is as an alternative to institutional confinement, said Minister of Justice Ahmed Ziadat said on Tuesday.

Ziadat said that the ministry is in the final stages of applying the scheme as an alternative to judicial suspension, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Ziadat clarified that if the bracelet has been tampered with or the tagged person goes outside the permissible geographical area, the device will send an alert to law enforcement agencies specifying the whereabouts of that person.

He stressed that the ministry has already purchased 1,500 tags as the first phase of the scheme, which has a total capacity of 5,000 tags.

In addition to offering an alternative to institutional confinement, the minister noted that the scheme is designed to reduce prison overcrowding and detention costs alongside ensuring that under-trial detainees are held separately from inmates.