Kazakhstan decided to abandon electronic bracelets

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan made a final decision to abandon the use of electronic bracelets for the supervision of released from prison. According to Interior Minister Erlan Turgumbaev, the reason for the refusal lies in the high cost of this project.

“We had this project about five years ago. It was assumed that electronic bracelets would be introduced to control released from prisons and the operational control center would monitor their movements, as well as illegal actions. However, this product is too expensive and today, due to the lack of financial resources, the Ministry of Internal Affairs cannot purchase them,” the Interior Minister explained at an online briefing.

Turgumbaev also added that electronic bracelets are morally outdated today.

“The technologies have been advanced, so there is no need for electronic bracelets anymore. Almost everyone has a smartphone. If we actualize the smartphone and register it with the internal affairs authorities, we will see the movement of such user through the smartphone and also see where he is through FaceTime”, the Minister explained.

Recall, for the first time, they started talking about the use of electronic bracelets in Kazakhstan in 2010, when correctional institutions were controlled by the Ministry of Justice and not the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

So, in August 2010, the official representative of the Ministry of Justice, Erbolat Yerimbet, said at a briefing that by 2015, the department intends to introduce, by means of electronic bracelets, tracking system of the movement of prisoners sentenced to probation, parole, and also under recognizance not to leave.

“In order to improve control over sentenced to restriction of liberty and conditionally convicted prisoners, it is proposed to introduce electronic means of tracking at the legislative level,” Yerimbet noted.

He also added that the cost of one bracelet was approximately equal to $453 (at the exchange rate for that period), but he couldn’t tell the total amount of the project, noting only that electronic bracelets would be introduced no later than January 1, 2015.

On August 17, 2012, the decree of the government of Kazakhstan “On approving the list of electronic tracking devices used in the supervision of persons serving a sentence of restraint of liberty” was issued, which approved the list of electronic tracking devices used in the supervision of persons serving a sentence of restraint of freedom. This list included the following technical equipment: an electronic bracelet, a personal tracker, a stationary monitoring device, a mobile monitoring device, a stationary broadcasting device, a stationary audiovisual monitoring device, a stationary photoelectrochemical monitoring device, as well as server equipment and a mobile monitoring console.

However, after two years, this decree lost force.

In June 2015, it became known how much money would be needed to implement this project in Kazakhstan.

As Interior Minister Kalmukhanbet Kasymov (predecessor of the current Minister Erlan Turgumbaev) said at the briefing, about $373.5 million would be needed to implement electronic bracelets (at the exchange rate for that period). He also explained that the system for the introduction of bracelets has been conducted in Kazakhstan for the second year already.

“The whole system will cost approximately $373.5 million. The first amount, that we requested, was $13.8 million for the creation of software. What is electronic tracking? It’s not that the bracelet is hung on the hand, and we are sitting and watching. No. A bracelet is the final result. First of all, we have to set screens and install the program in each district department of internal affairs; there are 278 districts. And when the bracelet wears, then we will see on the map where the person is. There are different forms: one is forbidden to leave home; second is forbidden to leave the district; third is forbidden to visit public places. Once the program is approved, we will create this entire system by 2017. And by 2018, we will begin to purchase bracelets that we will wear for our convicts @,” Kasymov emphasized.

By the way, at the same time, it became known that in order to reduce the cost of the project, the Institute of Space Engineering and Technology of the National Center for Space Research and Technology of Kazkosmos began to develop its own unique system of electronic devices for tracking prisoners. At a press conference, the representatives of Kazkosmos said that they took into account all the mistakes of other producers and were ready to immediately begin production of electronic bracelets for prisoners. But the press conference participants couldn’t say the exact cost of the Kazakh bracelets, explaining that it would be known after passing the relevant examinations.

“The cost of the project is the sum of the cost of the information core plus the cost of electronic devices (bracelet, home modem, mobile modem and so on). At the same time, the infrastructure that already exists in law enforcement agencies (hardware, server equipment, communication channels, and others) will be used to the maximum,” the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology explained.

At the same time, the department added that according to their calculations, five thousand electronic bracelets would be needed at the initial stage. And representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said that they would begin the introduction of electronic bracelets for prisoners in 2016.

In February 2016, the Penitentiary System Committee reported that a pilot project “Electronic devices of monitoring convicts” was launched in the republic.

“The voluntary electronic tracking system has been applied to four convicts, without isolation from society, who are under probation control in the probation service of the penal system in the capital,” said Talgat Meshitbaev, the head of the probation service department of the penal system in Astana. “Electronic sensors in the form of bracelets are fixed on the foot of each convict. It’s possible to remove them using special equipment. These bracelets don’t cause any physical discomfort to convicts. It’s noteworthy that they can swim with them in the pool or go to the bath.”

Then, the implementation dates were postponed to 2017, then to 2018. Then the project information completely disappeared from the information field. And now the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has declared that now there is no need for it. And what about $13.8 million that seems to have already been allocated to the Ministry? The current Interior Minister didn’t answer this question.