Creativity and Effectiveness in the Use of Electronic Monitoring as an Alternative to Imprisonment in EU Member States

Start date: 1 May 2014
End date: 30 April 2016
Primary investigator: 00914565
Co-investigators: Professor Kristel Beyens, Professor of Penology and Criminology (Department of Criminology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel); Professor Miranda Boone, Professor in Penitentiary Law and Penology (University Groningen); Professor Frieder Dünkel, Chair of Criminology (University of Greifswald); Professor Gill McIvor, Professor of Criminology (University of Stirling), Co-Director of the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research

This research project is a partnership between professors from five Universities in Europe; Prof. Anthea Hucklesby (The University of Leeds), Prof. Gill McIvor (The University of Stirling), Prof. Kristel Beyens (Vrije Universiteit, Brussels), Prof. Frieder Dunkel (University of Greifswald) and Prof. Miranda Boone (Utrecht University).

It focuses on the potential of electronic monitoring (EM) to provide a credible and workable alternative to imprisonment, therefore assisting in the management and reduction of EU prison populations. A core element of the project is the first empirical study of the use of EM at three stages of the criminal justice process – pre-trial, sentence and post-release – across 5 jurisdictions which coupled with a systematic and comprehensive analysis of legal and policy frameworks at the national and European levels will provide a unique comparative study of EM.

The findings will fill a significant knowledge gap about the capacity of EM to operate as an alternative to imprisonment and inform recommendations on best practice to enhance its effectiveness and ensure its legal, ethical and humane use across the EU.

The project began in May 2014 and will run for two years. The partners will be supported by an Advisory Board of experts from research user communities across the EU.

To learn more about the project, please visit our website- The Use of Electronic Monitoring in EU Member States or follow us on Twitter: @EMintheEU