Wi-Fi tracking for Canadian jail parolees
p2pnet news view | Crime:- Electronic bracelets will be used to track 30 high-risk Canadian federal jail parolees, says public safety minister Stockwell Day.
They’ll be “encouraged” to join the $600,000 ankle-bracelet pilot program but, “If an inmate refuses to join the program, Day hinted the parolee would be considered uncooperative,” says AHN.
The devices use Global Positioning System technology to report parolee movements to a monitoring network which streams data on a regular, but not real-time, basis, says the Canadian Press.
But, “critics panned the initiative, saying the technology is flawed and prone to being abused by crafty parolees who can outsmart the devices by cutting them off, disabling them or, as one is reported to have done, fool officials by strapping it onto a pet cat,” says the story, adding:
“Nova Scotia has been using such a system since 2006 to monitor offenders and is collaborating with the federal government on the pilot project.
“Brian MacDougall, a project officer with the provincial program, said about 55 people on conditional sentence release are wearing the ankle bracelets out of about 500 or so former inmates charged with everything from sexual offences to fraud.
Martha Stewart wore the latest in Wi-Fi “offender management solutions” for five months when she was found guilty of lying about a personal stock sale.
“I hate lockdown,” Vanity Fair had her saying. “It’s hideous.”
Asked about the electronic monitoring device she had to wear on her ankle, and that she complained about “repeatedly” because it “irritated her skin,” Stewart said she knew how to remove it, according to ABC News, which had her as saying:
“I watched them put it on.
“You can figure out how to get it off.”
Maybe the Canadian prisoners can use footwear similar to the ‘Martha Stewart Ankle Bracelet Shoes’ in the pic which were suggested by The Secret Life of Shoes. 
Disturbia, anyone?
.
.Stumble It!
AHN – 
Prisoner Tracking Bracelet’s Technical Glitches Spark Canadian Debate, August 12, 2008
Canadian Press -Parolees to get ankle monitors under new federal pilot project, August 11, 2008
It’s hideous – Martha Stewart on e-monitoring, July 6, 2005
ABC News – Martha Stewart Calls Lockdown ‘Hideous’, p2pnet, April 25, 2005
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August 13th, 2008 at 3:23 am
Parole is a test of trust. If Stockwell Day doesn’t trust the person then why let him/her out in the first place. This goes against all privacy laws in existence.
What this test seems to be is the next step in population surveillance, same as chip under skin. Actually we know it but I’m trying to be polite here.
I propose we get Stockwell Day and the rest of greedy politicians/business people to wear one and see how they likes it. Let’s make it a great online game.