site.bta1,600-Plus People in Bulgaria Have Been Placed under Electronic Surveillance

Since the introduction of the electronic monitoring system in Bulgaria, more than 1,600 people have been placed under surveillance, with 119 people currently being monitored, the Justice Ministry’s press centre said.

The General Directorate for the Execution of Penalties (GDEP) plans to build on the progress made in electronic monitoring to improve the quality of offender supervision, the press release said.

Caretaker Justice Minister Mariya Pavlova is currently attending the 13th Electronic Monitoring Conference organized by the Confederation of European Probation. The conference, themed Beyond Control – Electronic Monitoring and Prevention, is taking place in Portugal between December 3 and 5. It has brought together more than 260 participants from 38 countries, including Japan and the Philippines.

The conference explores how electronic surveillance can help achieve the objectives of the criminal justice system and how it can be used in cases of domestic violence, in pre-trial supervision and juvenile offender supervision.

In Portugal, Justice Minister Pavlova is accompanied by GDEP officials.

Electronic surveillance is carried out by GDEP, with monitoring provided with the assistance of the Interior Ministry.

By 2026, BGN 6 million are expected to be allocated from the state budget to support various initiatives aimed at tackling domestic violence, including funding for local programmes and services, Pavlova said during an annual meeting of the Regional Council for Domestic Violence Prevention in Razgrad Region in November.