'Disheartening': Alberta government promise to track domestic violence offenders lags
CTV
The Alberta government is lagging on a promise to fund electronic monitoring of domestic violence offenders even as other provinces push forward with programs believed to have saved lives.
The Alberta government is lagging on a promise to fund electronic monitoring of domestic violence offenders even as other provinces push forward with programs believed to have saved lives.
The United Conservative Party's 2019 campaign platform said a government led by Jason Kenney would spend up to $2 million to expand the technology to prevent offenders serving community sentences from having contact with their victims.
Justice Ministry spokeswoman Katherine Thompson said work continues to fulfil the commitment and it will be funded in future years.
Thompson drew attention to a $450,000 contract awarded to United States vendor eHawk Solutions to allow pretrial accused and low-risk offenders to report to their probation officers through a mobile application.
The government document, known as a request for proposal, does not mention tracking of domestic violence perpetrators but said the contract could create greater capacity for probation officers to more effectively supervise moderate and high-risk cases.
Thompson said the government is reviewing the addition of GPS monitoring to the contract but that it will be subject to approval.
Criminologist Scharie Tavcer of Mount Royal University in Calgary focuses on issues of relationship violence. Tavcer said electronic monitoring is not the only solution, but the province's delay in funding further risks harm to victims.
