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Sunday, January 17, 2016

Facts To Understand About House Arrest Monitoring

By James Wagner


Incarceration is just one of the many ways that offenders can pay for their offenses under the law. The concept of house arrest has continuously become popular as a cheaper alternative to incarceration, especially in countries that have large prison populations. It is receiving popularity as an alternative for punishing low-profile offenders. House arrest monitoring has been the most challenging part to implement but with technological advancement, it has become easier.

There are various devices used for monitoring the movements of selected high, medium, or low-risk offenders until they successfully complete the program. The offenders can be juveniles or adults. Electronic devices used to monitor offenders placed under house arrest are very effective and remain functional throughout. They indicate the location of the offender at any given time. If they violate the requirements of the program, such violations can be seen on the system.

One of the most commonly deployed electronic devices used for monitoring people under house arrest are ankle monitor. Ankle monitors are also known by other names including ankle bracelets and tethers. They are small gadgets that are worn by people on parole or house arrest. They comprise of a transmitter unit for sending radio frequency signals to receivers. The signal contains information about their location and other details.

A radio frequency signal is sent to the receiver in response to the violation when the wearer moves outside a specified geographical range. The receiver is another computer that could be located in a law enforcement facility or a government contractor. The design of ankle monitors makes them tamper proof. That has the implication that they notify the police when any attempts are made by the wearer to remove them.

The radio frequency signal sent from the device to a computer uses a land-line or cellular network. The signal comes in form of a message. Other devices that are closely related to ankle monitors are also available, especially ones that use GPS. GPS-based devices require wearers to have cell phones for transmission of signals. Some units have both functions incorporated in the ankle unit.

Electronic monitoring originated from a small team of researchers at Harvard University in the 1960s. The first judicially sanctioned program to employ the technology started in 1983 in New Mexico. Production was done by someone named Michael Goss. After a period of six years, there were a minimum of six producers involved in commercial productions of the systems. Statistics indicate that 130, 000 were under deployment in the United States in 2006.

There is a lot of uncertainty in the use of electronic monitoring devices in reducing the rate of crime. This is so because people who violate parole are usually preparing to commit other more serious crimes. The adoption of monitoring was to serve as a deterrent to crime. Later research indicates that there is no difference between this strategy and other diversion programs.

The devices are made water proof to avoid being damaged by water. They are usually small enough to avoid causing inconveniences when undertaking daily activities like sleeping. They are mostly made with a black casing.




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