Reductions in reoffence and new offences have been identified as a result of NSW domestic violence (DV) offenders wearing electronic ankle devices in the first year of release from prison.
On average, one woman every nine days and one man every month is killed by a current or former partner in Australia. On 4 January 2023 Lindy Lucena’s body was found in Ballina; she was the first woman to be murdered in an act of domestic violence this year.
The Domestic Violence Electronic Monitoring (DVEM) program was introduced in June 2016 and is the first electronic monitoring program in NSW to target domestic violence (DV) offenders and their compliance with Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVOs). The study monitored 226 DVEM participants and 768 offenders who met all eligibility criteria for DVEM but did not participate in relation to four areas: 1. Any reoffence, 2. Domestic violence reoffence, 3. ADVO breach reoffence, and 4. Return to custody.
The new study by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) has found that people on the program have lower rates of reoffending.
According to Jackie Fitzgerald, Executive Director of BOCSAR, ‘The study found that over 12 months, DVEM participants were 9.6 per cent less likely to commit a new offence of any type, 32.9 per cent less likely to commit a new domestic violence offence, 19.4 per cent less likely to breach their ADVO and 11.4 per cent less likely to return to custody.’
Offenders on the program have a GPS-enabled monitoring device fitted to their ankles, and have their location tracked at all times against exclusion zones drawn from their ADVO (e.g., the location of the victim, their place of residence, any other place specified). Offenders are contacted if they enter an exclusion zone and asked to leave. Police are contacted if they do not comply.
‘These results clearly show that electronic monitoring can be used to effectively manage serious domestic violence offenders in the community without compromising the safety of victim/survivors.’
