Society

Are electronic anklets really protecting citizens' safety?

A man in his 50s wearing an electronic anklet committed a terrible crime of serial murder of two women. The electronic anklets introduced to monitor inmates who are likely to recidivism did not work properly. The bigger problem is that the police did not arrest the murder suspect, but went to the police station on their own and surrendered. If you hadn't turned yourself in, you might have committed any additional crimes. 
Through this incident, various problems were revealed in the operation of electronic anklets. Above all, if the target of surveillance is decided, there is a high possibility of damaging the electronic anklet and fleeing. It was confirmed that Kang cut the electronic anklet using an industrial grinder. This year alone, 13 people cut off their electronic anklets and ran away, and two of them have yet to be caught. Police are tracking down an incident in Jangheung, Jeollanam-do, 10 days ago, where he cut off his electronic anklet and fled, but his whereabouts are unknown. Local residents are terrified that they cannot go out even at night. 
It is also urgent to prepare legal supplementary measures to monitor and arrest criminal suspects. The police confirmed that Kang had cut off his electronic anklet in the afternoon of the 27th and started tracking him down. Immediately after fleeing, the police visited Kang's house every two hours to check his most urgent residence, but eventually failed to confirm his home. This is because there was no search warrant. The body of a woman in her 40s who was killed the previous day was already found in Kang's house. If the police had been able to enter the private residence, the second murder could have been prevented.   Over the past five years, 292 cases have been repeated while wearing electronic anklets. More than half of the wearers of electronic anklets are sex offenders. Sex crimes are classified as crimes with a high probability of recidivism. That's why they were asked to wear electronic anklets, but if they are not properly managed, it doesn't mean anything. As can be seen from recent cases of damage to electronic anklets, existing electronic anklets are not only easy to damage but also easy to abandon and run away from the tracking device. There are always attempts to change electronic anklets with materials that cannot be damaged, but there are considerable opposition to human rights issues, and there has been a lack of manpower to supervise the tracking device for years. According to an official from the National Assembly, it recognizes the problem that existing electronic anklets are severely damaged, and there have been many years of moves to meet with officials and push for bills to improve them. However, it has been canceled every time due to opposition from human rights groups. 
In order to ensure the safety of citizens, it seems necessary not only to wear electronic anklets, but also to manage and have a legal system. For example, it is the introduction of an intelligent electronic inspection system that utilizes advanced technologies in the era of the 4th industrial revolution. This is a big data analysis such as information collected from external information-sensitive electronic devices, past criminal methods of the subject, and usual movement patterns, and is a system that automatically notifies probation officers when abnormal signs are detected. However, in terms of human control through electronic technology, a careful approach should be taken to prevent human rights violations.