|
|
| Electronic Tethers Could Ease Mich. Prison Crowding |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 02/14/2003 |
|
The Michigan Department of Corrections is preparing a plan for freeing some convicts on electronic tethers to ease prison crowding. No one seems to like being on a tether, but those using them say they beat the alternative of remaining behind bars. In December, incoming Gov. Jennifer Granholm proposed using electronic monitoring as one way to create more space in the state's prison system. The Legislature rejected her first proposal, so corrections officials began drafting a new one. 'It is a good option for us,' department spokesman Russ Marlan told the Detroit Free Press. 'It buys us more time.' The Granholm administration estimates Michigan's prisons will reach capacity by the end of this year. Michigan's prison population stood at 49,087 on Feb. 1. Michigan prisons have a capacity to hold 50,144. State officials estimate it would cost about $6 million to build a prison at a time when officials are trying to close budget deficits in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Those on tethers pay as much as $102 a week for the electronic monitoring. Some say the devices create an unfair financial burden and that the technology is unreliable. Some who wear them complain about false alarms. An offender's movements are monitored through the use of a Global Positioning System. Offenders carry a purselike electronic box by its strap. Judges offer tethering to some defendants awaiting trial and to others after conviction. Many people who have tethers are permitted to work. About 130 local, state and federal jurisdictions use tethers, according to ProTech Monitoring Inc. of Odessa, Fla., a leading developer of the technology. House Arrest Services in Eastpointe is one of Michigan's tether providers. 'We are not serving violent people who should be jail,' said company executive Sarah Becker. 'Not everyone needs to be in jail.' House Arrest, founded in 1986, has an ankle bracelet that measures blood-alcohol level through the skin. If the level becomes too high, the judge is notified. Another new device is a voice verification system for low-risk offenders who are not allowed to leave their home. For $6.50 a day, the system calls the defendant at home and asks him to repeat numbers. The system verifies that the person speaking is the defendant. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Do you know someone who has been arrested in Waco or McLennan County? It’s important to find a good Waco lawyer to represent you in the matter involving your own liberty. Look for the best Waco lawyer that you can find. Whether you have been accused rightly or wrongly, it’s important to know your legal rights that concern whether you go to jail.