Domestic violence experts gutted by omission of monitoring system
Domestic violence experts are disappointed the province won’t commit to funding electronic monitoring of perpetrators, breaking a promise made during the spring election campaign.
The decision will require agencies to continue relying on corporate sponsorship, stretched funding and community donations.
As the provincial budget dropped Thursday, some in the field of domestic violence expected $2 million to be allocated to specialized electronic monitoring.
The program prevents those serving sentences in the community from having contact with their victims.
However, no funding for the program was earmarked in the province’s fiscal plan.
“Shame on them,” said Vince Morelli, president of Red Deerbased Safetracks GPS Canada Inc., one of a handful of organizations in Canada that provides tracking technology to victims and perpetrators of domestic violence.
“The city needs it. The province needs it. The victims need it.”
Morelli and others said it’s a needed measure to combat epidemic levels of domestic violence in Alberta, and has proven success.
A pilot program under then-justice minister Alison Redford in 2010 was the first time a similar method was used to track high-risk offenders.
The device allowed authorities to know if the offender was in an area they shouldn’t be, and was considered one of the first indicators someone might reoffend.
However, the program fizzled out under changing governments, leaving a hole in the wraparound care system for those dealing with intimate family violence.
Safetracks trackers are being used in Alberta to assist victims, but none for perpetrators.
Red Deer has about 60 in circulation, Calgary has 12 and Edmonton has four, said Morelli.
The devices, unlike ankle monitors, are a hand-held tracker that allows users to click “SOS” if they believe they are in trouble. Police are then immediately contacted with their location.
But without the expected $2 million from the province, it’s unlikely programs will expand and in some cases could be cut.
The Calgary Police Service runs its program through funding from an unnamed corporate sponsor. In Red Deer, funding for the program is possible through community donations and limited organizational funding.
“The skeleton of the program is around, but with funding it would allow us to really set up and create a solid program with the staffing that we need to make it happen,” explained Barb Barber, executive director of Red Deer’s Outreach Centre, who said the $2-million budget hole is extremely disappointing.
“We just don’t have the capacity to serve any more families than we already have,” said Barber.
“From a non-profit service provider, we definitely feel the pressure of funding or restricted funding. The request for services aren’t decreasing, they are only increasing, and it’s really about trying to do our best with what we have.”
Maggie Mackillop, executive director of Homefront Calgary, said the use of electronic monitoring can help break the cycle of family violence and, in some cases, influence offenders to change their behaviour.
In testimonies provided by offenders who wore monitoring ankle bracelets from Safetracks, many said the most positive effect of the program was their ability to lead a normal life and spend time with family.
Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer said the government is reviewing the available technologies and said they have every intention of fulfilling the commitment.
It’s possible funding for the program could be drawn from another source, such as the Victims of Crime Fund, at a later date.
“The clear direction I have from our premier is that we are going to fund our criminal justice initiatives, from rural crime as well as dealing with things like GPS tracking systems,” he said, but added it’s premature to say when it will be implemented, citing subsequent budgets.
“The whole idea here is we want to make sure that people who are at risk are safe,” Schweitzer said.