Germany's Hessen and Thuringia expand electronic ankle‑bracelet program for domestic‑violence protection

The Hessian Ministry of Justice expects the number of people required to wear a “Spanish” electronic ankle bracelet for domestic‑violence cases to rise from 23 to roughly 400 nationwide. The law enabling the expansion will take effect on 1 April 2027. The Joint Electronic Monitoring Centre (GÜL) in Hessen, which currently monitors 149 individuals – including 23 wearing the device – will add staff to handle the increased workload, with costs shared among the states by the Königsteiner key.

Thuringia has signed a state treaty to use the same monitoring centre and plans to allow courts to order potential perpetrators to wear the bracelets. An alarm will sound if a minimum distance is breached, notifying the victim. Historically only 27 such devices were used in Thuringia from 2012‑2025; the new legislation also permits a 14‑day emergency deployment. Domestic‑violence investigations rose 9.4 % in 2025 to 3,304 cases. As Thuringian Justice Minister Beate Meißner put it, “Der Täter trägt die Fessel und die Frau behält die Freiheit.”