NCJ Number
126843
Journal
Insight Into Corrections Dated: (October 1990) Pages: 4-7
Date Published
1990
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the implementation of the electronic detection (ED) program in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The addition of the ED parole agent is considered an important feature.
Abstract
The ED program includes candidates in the work release and community correctional category, inmates within 90 days of release from conventional prisons, and parole violators. Since its inception in June 1989, the program monitored 1,540 felons. Of these, 645 successfully completed the program and spent about 80-100 days on the monitor. A total of 384 participants had been removed from the program because of violations of the rules. Only two of the participants were prosecuted for committing a crime while on the ED system. The success of the program is attributed to the screening process, intense supervision of the ED agents, and the monitoring equipment. Expansion of the program in Illinois, testing of technology from different companies, comparing cost of the ED program to incarceration, and future directions are also discussed.