House arrest with electronic bracelets in Cyprus: who will be affected by the changes

The Cyprus Ministry of Justice has prepared a bill introducing a system of house arrest using electronic bracelets (“smart trackers”) as an alternative to imprisonment. The initiative is intended to relieve overcrowding at Nicosia Central Prison and to give people convicted of non-violent crimes the opportunity to serve their sentence without complete isolation from society.

The innovation will apply only to certain categories of prisoners. Electronic monitoring will be available to people sentenced to up to three years for minor offenses, provided they have already served one third of their sentence and have demonstrated good behavior. The program will not apply to those who have committed serious crimes, including violent acts, drug trafficking and offenses against minors.

The system will allow convicted persons to remain at home and continue working or studying on an agreed schedule, but their movements will be strictly monitored by police in real time. Leaving the designated radius or attempting to remove the bracelet will result in an immediate return to prison. The bill has been sent for legal review, after which it will go to parliament for a vote, and the system is expected to be launched as part of the modernization of the penitentiary system.