E-tagging for Sharjah inmates to 'prevent crowding in jails'

Sharjah - Phase 2 of the initiative will help curb the spread of Covid-19 among prisoners

Afkar Ali Ahmed

Published: Mon 9 Nov 2020, 5:24 PM

Last updated: Mon 9 Nov 2020, 5:30 PM

The Sharjah Police have launched the second phase of their e-tagging system for prisoners, which will help prevent crowding at jails and curb the spread of Covid-19.

The electronic surveillance tags are fitted around convicts’ ankles, which then transmit their locations to the police control room. The tags ensure that a convict adheres to the conditions specified for him/her. Those convicted in minor cases with jail terms of less than two years can avail of the e-tag system. Convicts who have completed half of their two- to five-year jail sentences are eligible as well.

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Those fitted with the tags can pursue their education, go for job interviews, offer prayers in mosques, attend court sessions and go to hospitals and clinics.

Colonel Ibrahim Al Ajill, deputy director of police operations, said many convicts in the emirate’s eastern and central regions have benefitted from the initiative.

Beneficiaries have to sign an undertaking to take care of the device and ensure it is not tampered with.

The officer said that the system is part of the efforts of the Ministry of Interior and judicial authorities to reduce the negative effects of imprisonment.

Phase one of the e-tags was implemented in December 2019. “The monitoring devices give offenders an opportunity to improve their behaviour and reintegrate into society until their sentences are served. It also helps them manage their financial commitments by letting them work.”

Offenders who follow the rules are rewarded with two surveillance-free hours a day to “encourage positive behaviour”.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com