Manitoba's NDP government reinstating ankle bracelet program that was cancelled in 2017
CBC News | Posted: August 14, 2024 4:17 PM | Last Updated: August 15
Former PC government cancelled electronic monitoring in 2017 after NDP-ordered review panned them
Manitoba's NDP government is bringing back ankle bracelets as a tool to monitor people accused of crime after a multi-year absence in the province.
The province will roll out 100 GPS monitoring devices that will be used to supervise individuals who are released on bail, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced Wednesday during a press conference.
"I think what we're looking at is repeat offenders who are continuously breaching their bail conditions and those chronic reoffenders are folks who if these crimes are left unchecked, sometimes elevate to more serious crimes," Wiebe said.
"So if we can use these kind of technologies to break the cycle, to give people an opportunity to meet their bail conditions and ultimately keep our community safer, that's what it's about."
Wiebe said the program will start in Winnipeg, but the province is having discussions around the expansion of the program across Manitoba.
There are specific criteria on how the program will assess which offenders will be outfitted with these devices, which excludes cases involving murder, aggravated sexual assault and violence with a firearm, he said. Cases involving intimate partner violence have also been excluded, but will become eligible following consultations with experts.
The electronic monitoring devices will use voice, audio and vibration commands, permitting law enforcement to communicate with offenders, he said, adding that officers can pinpoint an individual's location within six and a half feet to where they're located.
If necessary, loud alerts will ring out if the individual being monitored enters an area they're not supposed to, such as retail stores.
"What our government has done is send a clear message about getting tough on crime, about sending a message to those repeat offenders who are terrorizing our communities that there are consequences for your actions," Wiebe said.
Sometimes offenders who've recently been arrested and released return to a location and feel confident they can get away with committing a crime, said Rui Rodrigues, the executive advisor of loss prevention and risk management at the Retail Council of Canada.
"There is shoplifting and then there is a heightened level of incidence of violence, weapons, assaults, both verbal and physical, and it's being done on a repetitive basis, sometimes by the same individuals that are known in the community," Rodrigues said, adding he commends the province for taking these steps.
The software allows for 24/7 monitoring and can notify law enforcement of the wearer's location at any time.
The Winnipeg Police Service said it supports the reinstatement of the ankle bracelet program.
The government describes electronic monitoring as another way it is trying to combat retail crime and keep communities safe.
The NDP is reinstating the ankle bracelets the former PC government promised to bring back during a pre-election announcement last year.
Tories changed course
The Tories themselves scrapped the program in 2017 after a NDP-initiated review found in many instances the bracelets were either inaccurate or ineffective.
Former PC justice minister Kelvin Goertzen, however, changed course in 2023 and promised to reinstate the program, citing advances in technology while arguing perhaps too many individuals are being granted bail.
Within two months, the government was running an anti-crime ad campaign showcasing a person wearing an ankle bracelet, even though no offender in Manitoba had worn them since 2017.
PC justice critic Wayne Balcaen, who is the MLA for Brandon West, said he thinks the electronic bracelet is a necessary tool for law enforcement across the province, however, he has concerns regarding the program being "Winnipeg-centric."
The province is spending $2.9 million on these devices over a two-year period. The contract can be extended, the government said in a news release.
Frank Cormier, a criminologist in the department of sociology and criminology at the University of Manitoba, said electronic monitoring can work if an offender believes the risk of being caught is too great and deters them from engaging in more criminal behaviour.
"Most people, when they commit a crime, are not rationally considering the costs and benefits of their action," Cormier said.
"So if the technology is working as intended and if it is being monitored and someone is ready and able to respond immediately, then that certainly could improve the effectiveness because the response to the breach would be swift and it would be certain."
He cited successful cases where sex offenders were required to wear an ankle bracelet following a conviction as an alternative to going to jail in conjunction with therapeutic intervention.
Sometimes ankle bracelets are seen as a replacement for in-person meetings with probation officers and bail supervisors when these face-to-face interventions have shown to be far more effective in reducing recidivism, Cormier said.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) criticized the program by saying it is concerned that increased surveillance of First Nations people, who are over-represented in Manitoba's justice system, could further exacerbate systemic inequities, the organization said in a news release.
AMC is also concerned how the program will align with a First Nations restorative approach to justice where it focuses on healing, rehabilitation and community-based solutions over punitive measures.
"We know the multitude of reasons why people commit theft: poverty, addiction, and lack of employment opportunities," Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said in the release.
"Addressing these underlying issues should be the priority, rather than expanding surveillance measures that risk further criminalizing our people."
AMC is calling on the provincial government to re-evaluate the program and consider a different approach.