The German Parliament (Bundestag) has approved legislation that grants authorities the ability to mandate electronic ankle monitors for perpetrators of domestic violence. The draft law, officially titled “On the Introduction of Electronic Residency Monitoring and Perpetrator Work in the Domestic Violence Protection Act” received support from the Union, SPD, AfD, and Green party factions during Friday’s session, though The Linke faction abstained, advocating for a more comprehensive strategy.
Under the new framework, judicial authorities are set to gain enhanced tools for preventing domestic violence and sanctioning breaches of protective orders. One key measure involves the mandatory use of electronic monitoring, utilizing a system modeled after Spain’s. While the law stipulates that victims of domestic violence may choose to carry a receiving device, the current version of the bill regrettably removes the victim’s sole ability to decide whether or not the ankle monitoring is applied.
Beyond monitoring, the legislation introduces mandatory anti-violence training. Family courts would be empowered to require offenders to participate in social training courses. In terms of punitive measures, the law proposes significantly stricter penalties for violating existing protection orders, raising the maximum possible prison sentence from two to three years.
Furthermore, efforts to improve overall safety include enhancements to risk assessment procedures. Family courts will now be able to request information from the official weapon registry, providing a more thorough basis for determining risk.