Prison Department under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Lithuania and UAB “Penkių kontinentų bankinės technologijos” (BS/2) concluded an agreement for the lease of electronic tracking devices.

This is the second agreement of this type since the entry into force of the Law on Probation; the first one was signed in 2012.

According to the Deputy Director of BS/2 Tomas Augucevičius, experience and technological sophistication of the company contribute to ensuring the effective control and monitoring of convicted persons provided for in the Law on Probation.

“Since we have experience in supplying electronic surveillance tools, we can guarantee high-quality services to probation bodies. Moreover, our specialists make sure of equipment support and maintenance, provide consulting and training services to officers who work with these devices”,

says T. Augucevičius.

A location of a convicted person is monitored by means of electronic monitoring measures. Monitoring module with a wired telephone or a GSM connection and electronic control devices are connected into a single center, from which officials monitor whether the convicted person observes the applicable restrictions and does not attempt to damage the device.

The software controlled from the monitoring center or online records all messages. The offender can be reached by telephone; therefore, officers no longer have to physically go and inspect whether convicted persons observe court-imposed duties at their place of residence.

Electronic surveillance measures enable convicted persons who are placed on probation to restore relationships with their families and social environment. As of 1 July 2012, when the Law on Probation entered into force, until 1 March 2014, 150 individuals (of which 34 persons were subjected to electronic surveillance measures to ensure performance of obligation not to leave their homes at certain hours, if this is not associated with work or education) were intensively monitored.

Currently, probation bodies have a goal to maximize the use of electronic surveillance equipment resources (i.e. at least 90 percent).

Effective re-socialization of individuals supervised by probation bodies and the ability of the latter to limit to the maximum extent the factors contributing to recidivism serve as a guarantee of greater safety of the country’s population.