ShareAbu Dhabi Police have launched an electronic system to monitor those convicted of misdemeanors through the use of an electronic bracelet as a substitute for imprisonment for small and minor offenses. Police will install a GPS electronic wristband and the person will be monitored 24/7 throughout the sentence period.
Police officials said the new system is based on the use of an electronic bracelet by the convicted person to determine the geographical scope, times and rules imposed on the sentenced person. When I read about this initiative, I felt happy and secure, because security authorities in UAE are clearly and transparently seeking to limit crimes in a civilized manner, aimed at protecting the society and achieving stability and happiness of individuals without harming or violating anyone's rights and dignity.
I always believed and called for such initiatives in Kuwait, like community service and ankle monitors, as successful methods that are widely used in the West. Now we have Abu Dhabi taking the lead in implementing it. Imprisoning traffic offenders, for example, with drug traffickers and criminals, means physical and psychological torture and death. The person may go to prison due to a violation of traffic regulations, but end up as a drug addict. So, what is the benefit to the society and the offender? Prison may be a way to get rid of some criminals, but rehabilitation should be the goal.
This service provides effective options in the process of rehabilitation and social reintegration to maintain positive ties, by replacing prison sentences with social measures that serve the interests of the society and provide the opportunity to reform and improve behaviors in the future.
The Abu Dhabi attorney-general said police surveillance using tracking bracelets accurately analyses the data provided by the convicted person in terms of the detainee's compliance with the restrictions during the probation period and ensures the prevention of crime and contributes to accelerating reintegration into society.
Abu Dhabi police stated that this system applies a non-custodial measure in a flexible manner, taking into account the personality of the convict, the nature of the offense, the seriousness of the offense and the requirements of the protection of the community. It can monitor the compliance of the sentenced person and obedience of the order of the court to stay at a specific address or not to go somewhere, which enables the sentenced person to practice his daily life routines in a normal manner according to a program determined by the court and the prosecution and followed up by the police follow-up department and subsequent care in the community security sector.
This issue is simply a societal message aiming to understand the importance of dealing with perpetrators of minor misdemeanors, because the objective is to reform and modify the behavior of convicts and ensure that they do not return to crimes, and rehabilitate them to be productive individuals in society.
Thank you Abu Dhabi for such a humanitarian initiative that seeks the happiness of the community. You made me happy too with this news.
By Muna Al-Fuzai
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