Anti-relationship bracelets to protect victims of domestic violence will begin to be put in place at the end of spring in Quebec.
Bill 24 amending the Act respecting the correctional system of Quebec was adopted Thursday.
The deployment of the electronic wristband system will take place this year as part of a pre-project aimed at defendants tried at the Quebec City courthouse and inmates at the Quebec Detention Facility.
It will then extend to the whole province by the end of 2023.
“This is one more gesture to continue to make Quebec a society that refuses violence against women, and a precursor in reducing the risk of recidivism for dangerous men,” said the Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault. .
The objective of the anti-reconciliation bracelet is to offer a greater sense of security to victims of domestic violence, but also to initiate a rapid police intervention protocol.
With its adoption, Bill 24 made Quebec the seventh jurisdiction in the world to set up such a program, according to Ms. Guilbaut when the bill was tabled in early February. It then planned to put 500 bracelets into service.
The implementation of the bracelet system requires the consent of the victim, who has a geolocation device on her.
When the perpetrator of domestic violence approaches the victim, the device sends an alert signal to the police, who then make sure to secure the victim.
The bracelet may be imposed on criminals by judges, but also by the Quebec Commission on Conditional Liberation or directors of detention facilities.
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