NCJ Number
131615
Date Published
1989
Length
51 pages
Annotation
The electronic monitoring of offenders initiated in British Columbia, Canada in August 1987 was evaluated in terms of the offenders involved, the effectiveness of the technology, the program's impacts on offenders and their families, staffing requirements, legal issues, and costs.
Abstract
The target population consisted of nonviolent offenders who would otherwise be sentenced to intermittent custody, usually for 90 days with the sentence being served on weekends. The program used an anklet that provided continuous signaling to a receiver unit in the offender's home; the telephone line was used to communicate with a central computer. Results for the first 12 months showed the technology to be reliable and accurate. Twenty-five percent of the offenders who were assessed were deemed unsuitable for electronic monitoring; the 92 offenders in the monitored group completed their sentences successfully. Findings showed that this program successfully reduced the inmate population without "widening the net" and that it is advantageous to view it as a prison classification option rather than as a sentencing option. Results also suggested the need to pre-screen all offenders potentially eligible for intermittent sentences and to provide ongoing education to both the criminal justice system and the community. Figures and appended resolution