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House arrest

In justice and law, house arrest is the situation where a person is confined (by the authorities) to his or her house, possibly with travel allowed but restricted. It is a lenient alternative to prison time.

House arrest is typically enforced with the use of an electronic sensor strapped to the offender's ankle, not removable by the subject. If the subject and the sensor venture too far from the home, the violation is recorded and the proper authorities are summoned.

Notable instances of house arrest:

Burma:

People's Republic of China:

United States:

USSR:

House Arrest in Fiction

In the Walt Disney film, First Kid, Luke Davenport (portrayed by Brock Pierce) was house arrested and confined to the White House for getting into a fight with a bully. An electronic sensor was strapped onto his wrist, not his ankle. However, he used a chatroom and communicated with his mysterious online friend to seek assistance in removing the electronic sensor. He did what his online friend said and used an unknown technique to remove the electronic sensor and moved it to a dog. At the end of the film, his warrant of punishment was nullified.


Also children may be grounded as punishment. It is house arrest except for going to school, church, etc.