Electronic Monitoring

• EM is a generic term for electronic surveillance. It encompasses a variety of strategies such as radio frequency electronic monitoring, GPS (global position satellite) tracking devices, and voice recognition.
• A variety of probation conditions may utilize EM for accountability purposes, including:
  • house arrest (Individuals are restricted to their house)
  • curfews (limits on when a person can be outside of their residence)
  • restraining orders (requirement that a person does not go near a home, facility, or other physical location)

• EM is typically used either to replace incarceration as a graduated sanction or to modify a sentence for greater monitoring.
• If an officer thinks a client needs more oversight, the officer should work with the court to authorize the addition of EM.
• Types of electronic monitoring include:
  • home unit – client wears a transmitter (e.g., ankle monitor) that sends an alert if the client leaves a physical location or travels outside the monitor’s range
  • passive GPS tracking – transmits the physical location of an individual; can be available through a smartphone

How Can It Be Used to Monitor Compliance?

• EM can track accountability and compliance.
• EM may be used as a graduated sanction.
• EM is most effective when used alongside evidence-based treatments.

How Can It Be Used as a Supervision Tool?

• EM by itself is not a “treatment” that directly targets values, cognitions, or skills.
• EM is a control tool that can increase the level of surveillance and reduce the capacity and opportunity to commit crimes.
• EM is most effective for medium- to high-risk clients when combined with evidence-based programming (e.g., substance use treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy).
• There’s some evidence that EM can be used to offer information to clients in real time related to their whereabouts (e.g., location of nearby substance-use meetings).

What Are the Costs of EM?

• EM can be a cost-effective alternative to incarceration.
• The costs of EM for an officer are mainly in time and effort, ensuring that the client is complying with the conditions of their sanction.
• The costs of EM for the client can be extensive.
  • EM can present a substantial financial burden to a client.
    • Clients’ financial circumstances should be considered when determining if/how much they contribute to the cost of EM.
  • Clients can suffer from negative social stigma from having to wear the electronic monitoring equipment in public.
    • Alternative GPS technology may be less intrusive to a client’s life (see phone-based monitoring statement).

• Supervision staff report that EM is
  • never appropriate for low-risk clients and
  • sometimes appropriate for all medium- to high-risk clients.

Compliance Level

• Supervision staff report that physical sanctions like EM are
  • sometimes appropriate for low-risk clients that are in low or moderate compliance with their supervision conditions,
  • never appropriate for low-risk clients that are in high compliance with their supervision conditions,
  • always appropriate for medium- to high-risk clients that are in low compliance with their supervision conditions, and
  • sometimes appropriate for medium- to high-risk clients that are in medium or high compliance with their supervision conditions.

What Should You Expect When Using EM?

• EM is effective when it is being used (typically 3–4 months), but it is unclear whether this leads to a long-term reduction in criminal behavior.
• There is evidence of positive impact on medium- and high-risk individuals when combined with evidence-based treatment.
  • This combination may not be effective for low-risk individuals.
• There is a small amount of evidence of positive effects on individuals who have committed sex offenses.
• Individuals on EM say it increases perceptions of being caught if they break the law and increases the effort required to both offend and avoid detection.

Is EM an Evidence-Based Practice?

• The evidence supporting EM is inconclusive. Evaluations are limited in number and their results are mixed.

What Do People Formerly Involved in the Criminal Legal System Think About EM?

• People with lived experience in the criminal legal system (the “criminal justice” or “legal” system is referred to as the criminal legal system in this document) report that EM is

• • never appropriate for all low-risk clients and
  • sometimes appropriate for all medium- to high-risk clients.

Communication That Reinforces Officers’ Role as Change Agent (Messaging)

• Officer should be aware of the restrictions EM places on clients at home and in the community.
• Officers should be aware of and acknowledge the potentially harmful effects for clients (e.g., shame, embarrassment) of being on EM.
  • Officers should help clients develop strategies to manage these negative emotions.
• Officers should be aware of and acknowledge the potential financial burden placed on clients and their families when considering EM.
• Clients should be reminded of potential positive outcomes of EM (e.g., ability to keep working, not going to jail, remaining with family) when discussing EM.
• Officers should promote EM as an opportunity for the individual to demonstrate they can comply with conditions.
  • Completion of an EM sanction should be presented as a way for a client to regain the trust of their officer.