Electronic security bracelet gets first ‘customer’

Two weeks after the launch of Slovakia's electronic bracelet system for monitoring convicted criminals it has found its first wearer, with Martin District Court handing down a one-year sentence of home detention to a man found guilty of attempted battery and riotous conduct. The convicted will undergo technical supervision via electronic bracelet, said Žilina Regional Court spokesperson Jozef Michňa on Thursday. The convict is also prohibited to drink alcoholic beverages, which will also be monitored by the system. "The punishment of house arrest was administered in order to minimise the negative impact of a potential mandatory sentence on the convict's family", said Michňa. The judge chose this method of punishment due to the fact that the convict found a job in December and regrets his actions. The electronic monitoring system (ESMO) came into force on January 1 with the aim to push through the alternative punishment of house arrest. Convicts with electronic bracelets will be able to go to work and take care of their families while serving their sentences. ESMO allows for the monitoring of up to 2,000 people.