Paraguay faces a huge gap between the number of people under house arrest and the capacity for electronic monitoring. According to Commissioner Rafael Candia, director of the National Police Security Center, currently only 123 electronic ankle monitors are in operation in the country, while about 9,800 people are serving house arrest ordered by the courts.
In an interview with Radio Monumental, Candia explained that since the start of the pilot program at the end of 2025, approximately 230 people have benefited from the device. The country has 2,000 ankle monitors, but most have not yet been put into use. “We have 2,000 as a pilot plan and then surely it will increase,” he said.
Each ankle monitor is monitored by 150 officers, distributed in shifts, and has a battery life of 48 hours, as well as an integrated communication system. “The ankle monitor is never removed; only we have the tools to disconnect it,” Candia highlighted.
Interior Minister Enrique Riera acknowledged during a conference at Mburuvicha Róga that many people under house arrest should not be incarcerated, citing cases of fraud or traffic accidents. “We have 9,800 people with house arrests, which are those that the judge determines that a defendant goes home to await the process. Theoretically, this implies that the Police must assign officers to watch that he stays at home,” Riera said.
The minister announced that the government is developing a real-time control system for these people, inspired by a model already used in Uruguay, which works via cell phones. The initiative aims to reduce police overload and ensure compliance with court orders.