Ministry of Justice to Promote Electronic Ankle Bracelet Attachment for Stalking Offenders Released After Serving Prison Sentence

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Ministry of Justice is pushing for a legal amendment to attach electronic monitoring devices (electronic anklets) to stalking offenders who have served prison sentences and been released.

According to the Ministry of Justice on the 21st, Minister Han Dong-hoon instructed the Crime Prevention Policy Bureau on the 17th to promptly pursue measures to attach electronic devices to those who have completed their sentences or are under probation for stalking crimes.

Under current law, only offenders who have committed one of the four major crimes (murder, sexual violence, robbery, or abduction of minors) and received probation are subject to electronic monitoring and intensive probation supervision. Stalking offenders are not included. Some have pointed out this issue, voicing concerns that practical protection for victims is insufficient.

In response, the Ministry of Justice plans to amend the law to require stalking offenders who have been sentenced to imprisonment and have served their full term or been released on probation to wear electronic devices. This applies to stalking offenders who are objectively recognized by the court as having a high risk of reoffending.

Minister Han, while directing the legal amendment, stated, "Stalking victims are likely to find it difficult to lead normal lives due to fears of retaliation or obsessive reoffending by released stalking offenders," adding, "Although protection of victims through electronic anklets is urgently needed, there is a loophole in the law."