With the approval of the parliament representatives, prisoners who are granted leave or are employed in open prisons, industrial, agricultural, and service institutions will be monitored with electronic bracelets. According to the news agency 'House of the Nation', the representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, in a public session on Wednesday, February 8, amended a legal article, allowing the Iranian Organization of Prisons and Security Measures to place certain eligible convicts under electronic surveillance and monitoring. The news agency reported that the privilege of electronic monitoring for prisoners and the issuance of electronic surveillance orders will be conditional upon the provision of guarantees stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Code, as well as the deposit of bail for the related equipment. Furthermore, any potential damages to the equipment will be covered by the users from the deposited guarantees. In this regard, Ali Asghar Jahangir, head of the Iranian Prisons Organization, announced in an interview with Mehr News Agency that soon 10,000 prisoners will be required to use electronic bracelets in the first phase. Mr. Jahangir stated regarding the latest status of the electronic bracelet project for monitoring prisoners outside of prison: 'We are in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding with one of the companies approved by the Information Technology Department of the Judiciary, which will be signed this week.' The head of the Iranian Prisons Organization concluded by stating: 'Based on existing forecasts and resolutions, 40,000 prisoners are expected to receive electronic bracelets, but with the signing of this memorandum, we aim to require 10,000 prisoners to use the bracelets in the first phase.' Previously, the head of the Iranian Prisons Organization had stated that over 600,000 individuals enter prisons annually, and a portion of these 600,000 stay in prison for less than a month. He noted that the brief presence of offenders in prison leads to various problems and stated: 'When a prisoner is released from prison after a short period, it indicates the unnecessary nature of their presence in prison, which not only incurs significant costs for the prison but also poses post-release challenges for individuals.' The head of the prisons also mentioned that the capacity of prisons in Iran is between 80,000 to 118,000 individuals, while currently, there are 220,000 prisoners.
Electronic Bracelets for Monitoring 10,000 Iranian Prisoners
Iran's parliament has approved the use of electronic bracelets to monitor 10,000 prisoners who are either on leave or working in open prisons. This initiative aims to alleviate overcrowding in prisons, where currently there are 220,000 inmates despite a capacity of only 80,000 to 118,000. The program is part of broader reforms to manage the prison population more effectively.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Iran's parliament approved a plan to monitor 10,000 prisoners using electronic bracelets as part of a strategy to reduce prison overcrowding. This initiative allows eligible prisoners to be monitored while on leave or working outside of prison.
- Currently, Iran's prisons hold approximately 220,000 inmates, significantly exceeding their capacity of 80,000 to 118,000.
- The first phase of the electronic monitoring program will involve 10,000 prisoners, with a potential expansion to 40,000.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Iran faces significant challenges with prison overcrowding, with many inmates serving short sentences that do not warrant incarceration. The government is exploring alternatives to imprisonment to manage the prison population more effectively.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%