The French Electronic Monitoring Bracelet: operation and use of an anti-panoptic device

Since its implementation in 2019 following the Grenelle summit on domestic violence, the BAR (bracelet anti-rapprochement) has been increasingly used in the French judicial and prison system. This new form of electronic tag produces what we call a “relational” surveillance because it involves the geolocalization of the perpetrator and the victim of domestic violence. Our paper examines the operation of this device and the effectiveness of the surveillance it is supposed to enable. On the basis of an empirical study conducted in seven French jurisdictions, we conclude that the BAR produces a plethora of imprecise information that requires intense interpretation and analysis on the part of judicial and paralegal actors, leading us to characterize it as a form of anti-panoptic device.