Thank you, Professor Fortin.
First of all, I would like to thank the Standing Committee on the Status of Women for inviting us. It is a pleasure and a privilege to be here to present our work on the electronic monitoring bracelet.
In order to better understand the people and situations that could benefit from a monitoring bracelet and to propose scenarios for its use, we conducted a relatively exhaustive study of the criminal histories of people who had committed spousal violence offences in Quebec over a long period of time.
We used police data concerning the arrests of all perpetrators of domestic violence offences in Quebec over a 10-year period. We analyzed all of these paths to bring out a number of main lines. We documented all the offences committed by these individuals over their lifetime.
We were able to paint a relatively detailed picture of the criminal history of these individuals, both in terms of general crime and domestic or sexual violence. In total, we counted 116,805 perpetrators of domestic violence offences between 2010 and 2020. About 30% of these offenders, or 33,999, were repeat offenders of domestic violence. In more than half of the cases, the gap between the first and second offence was less than 18 months. We studied the essential criminal history of these offenders, as well as recidivism in relation to domestic violence. The results revealed that recidivists had a relatively extensive and criminally diverse criminal history.
The best measure for the monitoring device is probably one that correctly identifies those most likely to benefit from it. Not everyone can necessarily benefit from such a measure, due to lack of human resources or technological problems, as Mr. Fortin mentioned.
The report we have proposed presents a series of data analyses and a short scale to guide decision-makers on the allocation of monitoring bracelets. It also attempts to estimate the risk of reoffending using relatively simple criteria regarding the criminal history of individuals. These criteria could potentially serve as a starting point for decision-makers. They could base their decisions on specific characteristics of the cases they are working on.
In Quebec, we are currently conducting a study on the effects of the monitoring bracelet. Specifically, we will be looking at offences committed, recidivism of offenders, victims' sense of safety, and the experience of people who wear the monitoring device. We have quite a lot of experience that allows us to put in place devices and understand the effects of the monitoring bracelet.
This study should allow us to adjust the measure so that it is as effective and optimal as possible.