ABSTRACT
This chapter explores electronic monitoring (EM) as a form of digitally mediated punishment in the context of Scotland. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork data, the everyday, lived experiences of both doing the work of EM and being subject to this form of punishment are revealed as sites and situations of complex controversies and calculations, characterised by shared uncertainty (Venturini, 2010). Moving beyond oversimplistic binaries of compliance versus breach, or being present versus absent, this chapter draws upon concepts from Actor Network Theory to reveal the messy controversies of digitally mediated punishment and how biases, glitches, miscommunications, and evasions can become embedded in seemingly neutral penal practices. Making visible the hidden socio-technical infrastructure of EM, we find that there are complex dynamics of power involved which are often characterised by instability and unreliability, and yet, carry significant consequences for those subject to this form of punishment.
