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Location Monitoring for Low-Risk InmatesA Cost-Effective and Evidence-Based Reentry Strategy

NCJ Number
247574
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 78 Issue: 1 Dated: June 2014 Pages: 19-21
Author(s)
Trent Cornish; Jay Whetzel
Date Published
June 2014
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines the use of location monitoring for low-risk inmates as a cost-effective reentry strategy.
Abstract
The home confinement program used for tracking Federal offenders was renamed the location monitoring program in 2009 due to the expansion of technologies available to law enforcement. These programs are used primarily for low-risk offenders in to remove and limit their opportunities for recidivism. This article discusses the statutes governing the location monitoring program and describes the interagency agreement that was established in 2010 between the Bureau of Prisons and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. The agreement acknowledges that the location monitoring program is a cost-effective alternative for dealing with inmates that pose a low-risk to the community and that require fewer services for completing their sentences compared to medium- and high-risk inmates. The agreement, which is updated annually, notes that inmates are required to pay for all or part of the program and that the full range of location monitoring technologies can be used to track the inmates. Data on the current number of offenders involved in the program are discussed.