Efficacy of electronic bracelet questioned

By Park Si-soo A series of electronic tracking devices have been destroyed by convicted sexual offenders to remove them from their ankles and this is raising questions about the effectiveness of the monitoring method. It seems that the gadget can easily be taken off with scissors or other cutting tools. Some offenders were even caught committing another sexual crime, undermining the government’s campaign to prevent sex criminals from becoming repeat offenders. It’s also likely to dent the country’s move to export the homegrown monitoring system as Japan, Singapore and the Dominican Republic were considering employing it. The number of malfunctions of the monitoring anklets has already reached 14. The latest destruction took place on Nov. 28 in Busan. Yeo Man-chul, 40, was apprehended at an Internet cafe in the port city 10 hours after he cut and removed the tracking device with scissors from his ankle. Yeo was confirmed to have raped a 10-year-old boy at a motel just hours before removing the device, provoking public outrage against the habitual sexual offender, who has been convicted three times of sexual crimes against teenagers. He can face up to seven years in prison or 20 million won ($17,300) in fines in additional punishment. Adding to the shockwave was that the device the pedophile was wearing was the most up-to-date model, which was designed to endure a cutting pressure 4.4 times higher than the maximum pressure of the initial model which made its debut two years ago. The latest model was employed in October. The strap strength had been enhanced with steel wires and reinforced plastic. The Ministry of Justice replaced the previous models attached to 317 released sexual offenders, including Yeo, with new ones to prevent further tampering with the device. Yet, Yeo said during questioning he cut the strap “in just one minute with scissors.” Following the incident, the ministry tested all 317 anklets currently in use to confirm their effectiveness. Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam said in an interview early this month that the ministry is working with scientists to further enhance the strap strength so that no similar cases will occur in the future. He also said that specially-trained officers will make sure that the process of putting the anklets on offenders is faultless so that they cannot easily break them off. “We are working to improve it. One of the ideas is running a special team comprised of 10 or more officers who will put the gadget on offenders with no errors.” The minister did not rule out the possibility that the 13 cases of tampering reported over the past two years resulted from human errors, not a glitch in the device. The minister denied the possibility of immediately implementing chemical castration for fear that it could be viewed as an act infringing on human rights. A bill selectively forcing convicted sex offenders to undergo chemical castration is pending at the National Assembly. Many citizens call for more creative ideas to develop additional countermeasures. “A fresh approach is needed,” said Choi Yong-duk, a Busan resident. Choi said that should the introduction of chemical castration be impossible, implanting a traceable device under the skin is one alternative to the electronic monitoring anklet.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr