Wards of the state to be outfitted with knee-lock devices when escorted

THE HAGUE – Dutch junior Justice Minister Nebahat Albayrak, a Labour politician, is taking the knee-lock invention to the institutions which care for prisoners which beyond their jail term have been declared a ward of the state. The Netherlands calls it terbeschikkingstelling or tbs, for short. The tbs’ers may be criminals suffering from a(n untreatable) psychiatric disorder or whose crimes were so horrific they should not be released again. The third group could be prisoners who refuse treatment. Tbs’ers at times require escorted leaves for any number of reasons, but escape attempts forced authorities to look for humane ways to take them into the community. Inventors developed a remotely-controlled knee-lock device which force wearers to sit down if they stray too far from their escorts. Although the device looks promising, it could also permanently strain and damage the wearer’s knee if not fitted properly. The first order of one hundred knee-locks carries a price tag of about $1.5 million.