NCJ Number
168979
Journal
Alternatives to Incarceration Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: January-February 1997 Pages: 16-24
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The evaluation of electronic monitoring programs is examined in terms of findings of major studies of the topic, gaps in evaluations, and a proposed instrument and approach for agency self-evaluation.
Abstract
The available evaluation studies suggest that electronic monitoring is both cost-effective and labor-effective and that it offers a space-saving alternative to jail, prison, and detention time for offenders. Nevertheless, initial start-up and operating costs can be substantial. In addition, little attention has been given to assessing programs related to the success or failure of goal attainment. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention awarded a grant to Administration of Justice Services, Inc. to develop an agency-based self-evaluation instrument to use on an ongoing basis to provide data for constructive in-house analysis. The first step in developing the instrument was to survey a purposive sample of 484 individuals or programs to determine the variables with potential for program assessment. Ninety-one of the 106 that responded indicated that they have operating electronic monitoring programs, mostly only for juveniles. The proposed evaluation instrument has five pages and aims to determine the effectiveness of electronic monitoring with some degree of quantifiable precision. The form is available on the website of Administration of Justice Services, Inc. Illustration