Experiences and ideas of the convicted personspertaining to the effectiveness of electronic supervision

Abstract

In the subject literature it is emphasised that completion of the penalty of deprivation of liberty is not an effective way to prevent former convicts from committing subsequent offences. Thus, the endeavour is being made to find the alternatives to isolation penalty, at which point electronic supervision on the convicts is indicated. Although the provisions of law pertaining to such solution are quite clear, the data pertaining to its effects are not so extensive. In connection therewith, the research was undertaken to reveal the opinions of men serving the penalty of deprivation of liberty on the issue of effectiveness of supervision imposed on them in the past. As part of research both diagnostic survey method and author’s own questionnaire were used. It involved 229 men who had been previously under the electronic supervision and are in the conditions of penitentiary isolation at the time of research. The obtained results of the study confirm the advantage of positive opinions of the convicts about the supervision carried out. This subjective assessment, however, does not fully coincide with the objective one, carried out in the perspective of returning to the prison and the relatively low nuisance of electronic supervison which is treated as a punishment.They encourage to reflect on the detailed diagnosis of the accused persons being conducted prior to the imposition of electronic supervision pursuant to court decision.