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| Putting Parolees on a Tighter Leash |
| By New York Times |
| Published: 09/29/2003 |
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Florida-based Pro Tech Monitoring, the leader in surveillance technology using the Global Positioning System (GPS), produces a tracking and monitoring device that allows municipalities to keep better track of parolees than traditional systems. Parolees wear an electronic ankle bracelet that transmits a signal to a four-pound electronic box that the offenders must carry with them at all times. The box makes a cell phone call to a central computer every 10 minutes, transmitting the offender's geographic location via the GPS. Not only does the GPS provide constant and precise monitoring, but it can send an alert to authorities if the offender enters a designated "hot zone," such as a school or victim's home; if the offender does not arrive on time at home; strays more than 100 feet away from the box; or tampers with the bracelet. Katherine Johnson, a criminologist at the University of West Florida, says satellite monitoring has turned out to be a good behavior-modification tool during the tracking period. According to Jim Sommerkamp, a senior probation supervisor in Hillsborough County, Fla., only 40 percent of offenders under satellite surveillance violate parole or probation, compared to 70 percent of all offenders on parole. However, state and local authorities have not adopted the system quickly, as it costs twice as much as traditional electronic monitoring, and the GPS satellite signals are usually blocked inside buildings, urban areas with tall buildings, and rural areas with inadequate cell phone infrastructure. |
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