Bill 24, changing the Act Respecting the Quebec Correctional System, was adopted by the National Assembly on Thursday.
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Tracking devices to protect victims of conjugal violence will start being available at the end of the spring in Quebec.
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Bill 24, changing the Act Respecting the Quebec Correctional System, was adopted by the National Assembly on Thursday.
The deployment of the electronic tracking system will take place this year as part of a project aimed at defendants tried at the Quebec City courthouse and inmates at Quebec City’s detention facility. It will expand to the rest of the province by the end of 2023.
The tracking devices are meant to offer a sense of security to victims of conjugal violence, and facilitate a faster police intervention response.
Quebec becomes the seventh jurisdiction in the world to put in place such a program, according to Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault. She said the province plans to put 500 tracking bracelets into service.
The implementation of the bracelets requires the consent of the victim, who will also carry a location tracking device. When the two get closer than a minimum distance, the bracelet sends a signal to police who can intervene to ensure the victim’s safety.
The bracelet can be imposed by judges or by the parole board or heads of detention facilities.