The ACT has extended its long, slow progress toward introducing offender-monitoring technology used interstate for years, allocating a further $214,000 to its feasibility study, funded by proceeds of crime.
Last June $297,000 was allocated to a scoping study.
Active electronic tracking of offenders, usually via an non-removable ankle bracelet, has been used by justice systems around the world for decades and is seen as a means of ensuring offenders do not break curfews or court-issued directions, or enter areas where they are not permitted by court order.
But curiously, the ACT government is not accepting that the extensive national and international research into the technology and its outcomes suits its territory application and is extending its own research.
The ACT has assessed the technology twice before; the first time back in 2001 as a three-year program applied to offenders who received a sentence of 18 months or less.
But the program was quietly dropped in 2004. ACT Corrections again explored the feasibility of electronic tagging in 2016-17 but it was dropped "due to a number of limiting factors".
Former ACT chief police officer Neil Gaughan had been sharply critical of the government's laggardly approach to the technology when every jurisdiction in Australia uses it - except the ACT.
"It's very precise, it's very small. It doesn't look intrusive like they used to. Someone can go about their daily business and no one will even know they've got a tag on," Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said.
"I cannot get the argument as to why we don't have them; it's ridiculous."
Now on the third time around, over $500,000 is being spent again on assessment.
ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said the government was in a "heavy research phase" on the technology and expected an update soon in order to "make some initial decisions on it".
"The key issue with electronic monitoring is deciding what area will it be applied to," he said.
"Do we want to most focus on bail or on parole? These are the sorts of questions we need to resolve.
"Because in different states across Australia it's done in quite different ways and we want to think about what is the most impactful way we can use it in the territory."
Mr Rattenbury said there was an opportunity to use it to address gender-based violence, as occurs in NSW.
There are around 40 domestic violence offenders on the NSW Domestic Violence Electronic Monitoring program, together with about 20 of their victims, which allows Corrective Services NSW to track the offender's movement against the location of the victim.
All the NSW devices are supplied by proven UK manufacturer Buddi.
"There is some discussion about the best ways to use it; there are some people who are victims of domestic violence who don't want to be involved in the electronic monitoring program," Mr Rattenbury said.
In the ACT Assembly Budget hearings on Tuesday, no timeline could be offered by Corrections Minister Emma Davidson as to when the technology would be rolled out.
"What decisions about what pilot is run and when it happens; it's not likely to happen in the time of this current Budget year," she said.
Also funded by proceeds of crime will be the trial of a family counselling officer at Canberra's jail ($15,000) and $50,000 to install an audio-visual link at the Jervis Bay police station.
