Now is the Right Time to Use Electronic Monitoring

Article Tools Print This Page | Comments(0) | Suggest a Story

By Peter A Michel

Published: 12/21/2009

Editors Note: Corrections.com author, Peter A. Michel, is the Chief Executive Officer of iSECUREtrac Corporation, an electronic monitoring company headquartered in Omaha, NE.

Recent news has reported the latest efforts by state and local agencies to manage reductions to their budgets. The current economic cycle has brought into play new dynamics in the way corrections agencies conduct their business – how resources are allocated, how functions are staffed, assisting those who have been convicted of crimes to improve their circumstances – all with intent to determine how the energies of the government are operated at lower costs. Ordered to reduce budgets while reducing crime and ensuring public safety, departments are being asked to redesign how they conduct business without sacrificing their ability to meet these goals.

The Pew Center on the States has highlighted in recent reports the dramatic rise in people in the U.S. criminal justice system. Sentencing and release laws passed in the 1980’s and 1990’s have placed increased numbers of people behind bars, to the point where 1-in-100 adults are in prison or jail. Less noticed, has been the skyrocketing number of people on probation or parole – there are now 1-in-45 adults under criminal justice supervision in the community.

In the past, community supervision by probation and parole officers was labor-intensive. But recent technological advances are allowing community corrections agencies to respond to this crushing caseload while bringing cost-savings into their operations. Electronic monitoring technologies are providing tools to agencies by offering the following advantages:

Innovations in Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and cellular communications now allow the physical location of offenders to be monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
A wide range of technologies – ranging from biometric voice, radio-frequency, GPS, and alcohol detection – is providing a range of strategies to provide flexibility to match the most appropriate supervision option based on assessment tools measuring risk to re-offend.
The daily cost for electronic monitoring averages under $10, with a growing number of jurisdictions requiring the monitored person to cover the costs if they have the ability to pay. When you combine the costs savings as compared to the average daily cost of a prison inmate, $78.95, with the added benefits of keeping low risk individual in the workplace, paying taxes, and supporting their families, the argument in favor of electronic monitoring is even more compelling.
Community corrections agencies are tailoring the use of electronic monitoring to assist in meeting the unique needs in specialized populations, such as sex offenders, domestic violence protection order enforcement, and child support cases.

An important responsibility for community corrections officers beyond monitoring released offender compliance is helping modify behavior to improve the chances the offender will not return to jail. Electronic monitoring provides a rich stream of detailed information to help officers confirm not only if a person violates their parole or probation, but provide constructive feedback and reinforcement as they monitor attendance with work, counseling, and treatment sessions.

Studies in recent years point to the positive impact electronic monitoring has on reducing recidivism, or the repeating of criminal activity by individuals. A Florida Department of Corrections study indicated that offenders on parole or probation without electronic supervision were 21/2 times more likely to have their parole/probation revoked, three times more likely to commit a felony and twice as likely to commit a misdemeanor than the offenders on electronic monitoring. Clearly, electronic supervision changes offender behavior and reduces the rate of recidivism, making the streets safer for everyone.

Electronic monitoring offers an effective tool that can be the difference-maker to assist an offender’s transition from incarceration. By integrating treatment, job support and other transitional services in a supervised program that electronically tracks and documents movements, community corrections officers are now able to help individuals return successfully to their communities. Combined with the cost-effectiveness of this alternative to incarceration, now is the right time for government agencies to use electronic monitoring.

Comments:

No comments have been posted for this article.

Login to let us know what you think

MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search