NCJ Number
141963
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1992) Pages: 492-503
Date Published
1992
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This analysis of electronic monitoring (EM) of offenders argues that EM differs from other criminal justice fads because it is part of a "corrections-commercial complex," which in turn is part of transnational criminal justice enterprises that have connections to the modern arms security industry.
Abstract
This industry is an outgrowth of the military industrial complex identified by President Eisenhower in his farewell address in 1961. As a marketable product, electronic monitoring appeals to some military defense contractors' need to redesign and diversify technology in the post-Cold War era. Recognition of these connections provides a broader context in which to assess EM than merely focusing on its similarities to previous fads that have been characterized by broad media attention; quick, widespread adoption; rapid expansion; and diversification of the product. These fads experience great early enthusiasm, widespread adoption, evaluations questioning their benefits, disillusionment, and, finally, downscaling or elimination and receptiveness to the next technological advance that appears to provide a simple remedy for a problem. In contrast, EM is connected intricately to a commercial corrections complex, to transnational criminal justice enterprise, and to the world of military-industrial business and technology. Therefore, it has a better chance of lasting than the fads named by Corbett and Marx in their 1991 article. Footnotes and 35 references (Author abstract modified)