The Projected (Non)-Futures of Electronic Monitoring in the Child Justice System: Professionals’ Perspectives in Portugal

Abstract

In an era marked by the construction of an increasingly digital and technological justice for children, the use of electronic monitoring within child justice systems is a controversial issue. This article examines the projected (non)futures of electronic monitoring in Portugal by exploring the perspectives of relevant stakeholders involved in the child justice system. Our data show that both opposing and supportive perspectives are anchored on four key axes – education, control, environments and conditions, and stigma – that underpin stakeholders’ perceptions of the different challenges, principles and goals that underpin the child justice.