The Electronic Ankle Bracelet as an Instrument of Social Control and Its Impacts on Public Security

Abstract

This article analyzes the use of the electronic ankle bracelet as an instrument of social control and its economic impacts on public security in the State of Amazonas, Brazil. It questions to what extent this technology, applied to the penal system, contributes to the management of criminal justice and acts as a mechanism of surveillance and disciplining. The research, exploratory and descriptive in nature, was based on an integrative literature review and documentary analysis. The results indicate that, although promoted as a modern alternative to incarceration, the ankle bracelet reconfigures punitive practices, expanding state control over the individual and also affecting symbolic and family dimensions, reinforcing social stigma. From an economic perspective, it reduces direct costs compared to the traditional prison system, but imposes invisible social costs, such as emotional overload, community exclusion, and lack of follow-up. Its effectiveness depends on articulation with reintegration policies and on societal understanding of its role. The State’s responsibility to promote dignified reintegration conditions is essential, and the increase in the number of inmates should not be attributed to the device itself. The conclusion is that the problem lies not in the technology, but in the absence of an integrative social project capable of ensuring substantive freedoms and reducing inequalities.