r/canberra • u/JuliosvNerds • 1d ago
News ACT walks back pledge for ankle bracelets on DV perpetrators
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-15/act-scraps-plan-for-ankle-bracelets-on-domestic-violence-perps/10727137823
u/bingbongboopsnoot 1d ago
Why is it so costly? We can give someone with dementia a geofenced tag that alerts whoever is nominated when they’ve venture outside a selected area for next to nothing, is the cost for staff to watch where they are?
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u/fuzbat 1d ago
I'd presume the difference is one system is a 'nice to have' where if it doesn't work 100% or the person deliberatly tries to evade it things probably aren't going to be too bad. Vs the DV one where the people who will try and evade it / works out it's not 100% accurate are the ones we absolutly want to catch. Given the attacks you are defending against I can see why the DV system would be orders of magnitude more expensive and complicated.
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u/spaghettibolegdeh 1d ago
Multiple reasons:
The difference is that with legal/justice apps or devices is that there is a much stricter requirement of standard to even procure something in market.
What I mean is, these devices will directly interact with the legal system, and will be used as evidence in trials at some point. So you better be sure that they are accurate and impossible to manipulate.
You also need a manufacturer that is trusted to not leak or use the data for their own benefit, ideally who are within Australia or have servers here.
But realistically, the manufacturer will be from USA or Europe. So there's a bunch of added costs there.
Adding to that you have people like human rights lawyers, police, local and federal politicians, treasury, press, corrections, courts etc, all wanting to be involved in the process. More meetings and more red tape because it's a political, legislation and public relations conversation.
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u/bingbongboopsnoot 1d ago
Thank you! Good to know - shame about it :/
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u/manicdee33 1d ago
There's also the issue that they aren't suitable for the job. Trackers are good at providing evidence after an offence has occurred but they're pointless when trying to prevent future offending.
In this case we're looking for ways to prevent DV offenders murdering their partners. Having evidence that they weren't where they were supposed to be is pointless.
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u/bingbongboopsnoot 21h ago
But if they are relegated to a specific area and authorities are notified if they leave that area then surely that would be helpful in preventing them attacking the partner again?
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u/omnemnemnem 1d ago
I'm legitimately curious about this as someone caring for a parent with dementia. We tried giving him an airtag but he managed to lose even that.
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u/bingbongboopsnoot 1d ago
It’s tricky when they take things off or don’t consistently carry an item it can be hidden in. If they always wear the same pair of shoes, hiding it in there, or gifting them a watch/ necklace that has the tracker, there are trackers that pin into clothes like a security tag at a shop so they can’t remove it - but all of it relies on them leaving the house with it which can be hard to do depending on their habits. A lot of the falls alarm watches and pendants have geofencing available if they are a watch wearer. Can get ring doorbell type things alerting when they leave the house as well
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u/A-Little-Dirty 1d ago
This would have been such a good proactive policy to stop deaths of mothers and children. I hope they come back around, something needs to be done.
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u/JuliosvNerds 1d ago
It seems like an odd policy to drop, especially given recent events. It’s a really bad time to be a victim of crime in Canberra.
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u/Educational-Art-8515 1d ago edited 1d ago
A prominent ACT domestic violence support service says it had reservations about the technology and was unconvinced it would improve safety if implemented.
The article seems to cast doubt on the efficacy of the programs and quotes the Domestic Violence Crisis Service CEO as being against it.
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u/manicdee33 1d ago
How is this system going to prevent someone who is subject to an AVO or restraining order getting in their car and driving to their ex's place and attacking them with an axe?
By the time the police even realise the offender has left their home it's going to be too late to act.
What kind of violations of AVOs and bail conditions are ankle bracelets supposed to protect against? There's no chain securing someone to a wall. There's no fence locking them in. There's only a tracker which (eventually) warns someone that the offender has stepped outside a prescribed area, without any indication of where they're going.
How is this system proactive? How does it stop someone committing murder?
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u/123chuckaway 1d ago
I wasn’t aware of this pledge and don’t know the background, so forgive me if I’m wrong, but if I’m reading correctly, this would have meant known offenders would be able to be released from AMC back into society earlier and electronically tagged?
So the status quo is they stay behind bars?
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u/createdtothrowaway87 1d ago
This is disappointing - I'd like to see some comparative costings from other states that have used ankle monitors. How much is too much?
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u/spaghettibolegdeh 1d ago
I think the issue is that Treasury already gives next to nothing to Justice. I believe stuff like a remand center has been trying to get funded for about a decade now.
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u/manicdee33 1d ago
But also have they been useful in reducing the rate of violence against DV victims, and is there a meaningful way to compare the dollars spent on this system to the dollars spent on shelters and extra police on the beat?
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u/allaboutthepockets 1d ago
I understand there is always going to be a cost issue but could we not have some efficacy study from other states that have implemented them to base how effective it could be before we decide if the cost is too much?
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u/manicdee33 1d ago
From my reading of the article, it's been shown to be more expensive than simply keeping offenders in jail.
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u/allaboutthepockets 23h ago
Sure, it may be more costly than jail but they aren't being kept in jail so that isn't really comparable. There are far more important factors it could be effecting, is it reducing recidivism? Reducing stress for victims? Assisting law enforcement to be proactive?
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u/Glittering_Spread847 1d ago
How was this meant to work exactly? It tracks their location and then what? Does the victim have to provide police with a constantly updated list of places in which they might be attacked? Do we have anywhere enough police to respond to alerts quickly enough as to actually be preventative?
As has already been pointed out, for the most dangerous perpetrators this won’t be a deterrent at all.
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u/jamescruuze23 1d ago
Should permanently implant a Kmart air tag into their anus so everytime they shit they can be reminded that actions have consequences
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u/BeachHut9 1d ago
That $18 million cost savings can be diverted to the tram project but DV perpetrators will continue to flout the laws in the ACT.
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u/Jackson2615 1d ago
ACTGOV is pouring billions into the tram but wont fund this measure to [try] keep women and children safe
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u/manicdee33 1d ago
Can you explain how ankle bracelets keep victims of domestic violence safe, instead of just consuming funds that could have been used for systems that actually work?
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u/Jackson2615 1d ago
Can you explain this system that "actually" works, and why it has not been implemented?
I think a society should do all it can to protect women and children from domestic violence, don't you agree?
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u/manicdee33 1d ago
We already have shelters, counselling, and even police training. If we take money away from that to implement something that is less useful isn't that a net loss for victims of domestic violence?
Can you explain how ankle bracelets keep victims of domestic violence safe?
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u/Jackson2615 1d ago
Yet the rate of domestic violence keeps increasing, if ankle bracelets alert the police that a perpetrator is not where he is supposed to be and saves a womans life its worth it. You apparently dont think women should be protected as much as possible. Or are you like the ACTGOV and think women's safety isn't worth paying for.
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u/manicdee33 1d ago
I'd prefer to spend the money on putting a DV victim somewhere safe rather than pretending that an ankle bracelet is going to alert the police in time to intercept the offender before they murder someone.
Can you explain how ankle bracelets keep victims of domestic violence safe? Please avoid assuming that they accomplish something and therefore are worth it. Work through the story and explain it in terms of logistics: then police just received notification that an offender has left their home without permission. What do the police do now?
In the meantime, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service (a service that deals with the reality rather than the fiction of domestic violence in Canberra) executive Sue Webeck said:
Electronic monitoring can never and will never replace the responsiveness of the services and systems that are built of people to respond in the moment when risk is evident.
It might be worth talking to the people who deal with domestic violence about what systems they expect will see the best outcomes for the money spent.
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u/tortoiselessporpoise 1d ago
We should just have them do a weekly indelible ink mark on their face so everyone will know to stay away from them.
No high tech costs, everyone knows to just stay away from them