Justice officials in the Chinese city of Zhongshan have possibly become the first in the world to implement a blockchain system to track every move convicts on parole make.

The solution, which is linked to the electronic bracelet placed on prisoners, is so advanced it helps corrections officers to analyse behavioural tendencies and anticipate when a criminal may re-offend, according to local news outlet Zhongshan Daily. It enables community corrections officers to receive parolees information anywhere and at whenever required.

Timely information

The corrections staff and relevant enforcement agencies will also be able to view up-to-date prisoner data, informing them where the convict is and in time to take measures if the person on parole has veered away from routine.

The system will help reduce the manpower burden which was earlier required to physically follow parolees to ensure they were obeying the law and performing community service, the municipal justice department says.

“With the upgraded version of the electronic bracelet, the daily life of the prisoners in the community can be positioned and tracked, reducing the impact of human factors in regular reporting,” explain local officials. “In addition, the upgraded version of the electronic bracelet plus the correction e-way supervision mode does not need to send people to regularly track community prisoners, effectively reducing the resistance of community prisoners.”

The highest level of encryption

The officials told the local news outlet that the system uses the “highest level of encryption algorithm” to ensure the highest possible reliability of the uplinked information.

Recently, a court in the Chinese city of Hangzhou authorised the use of blockchain technology for the deposition of evidence.