Prison populations are continuing to rise rapidly at an alarming rate, causing jurisdictions all over the country to find an alternative. Did you know that the average cost to keep one inmate ranges between $15,000 to $70,000 per year, depending on the state? A fantastic solution to decrease the number of people in prison is home confinement.
If you are looking for more information on home confinement and the systems used to track arrestees, then you should keep reading on! We will go over the values of house arrest and the best tracking system that you can use to keep track of those in home confinement.
Home Confinement Definition
House arrest, also known as home confinement, is an alternative for defendants instead of going to jail. The arrestee will receive an ankle monitoring device that they cannot easily remove. The device uses GPS to monitor the location and movement of the individual.
Electronically monitored house arrest restricts the person from going outside of a specific parameter. When someone is sentenced to an electronically monitored house arrest, they also have a curfew for when they need to be home.
House Arrest Eligibility
Non-violent offenders are usually able to have house arrest, and they have to follow a set of rules. First offenders are also more likely to receive house confinement than repeat offenders. The arrestee must also live in a home with a landline phone inside or near the sentencing jurisdiction.
Before making the final decision to award home confinement, the court will consider the offender’s community support. The court will also consider the offender’s employment opportunities and family. If the offender committed a crime in the house they wish to have house arrest in; they may not be eligible for house arrest.
House Arrest Permissions
Not all offenders have to stay home the entire time of their duration. Some offenders can leave their houses for school or church. The court must pre-approve the locations or reasons for the offender leaving home.
Some reasons an offender can leave their house include:
- Community service
- Drug testing
- Probation officer meetings
- Work
- Doctor appointments
- Any other approved medical reasons
The offender also can request permission to leave for other reasons, but the probation officer and the court will have to review before granting permission. These requests submitted by offenders are usually only accepted on a case-by-case basis.
Home Confinement Pros and Cons
With rising numbers of prison inmates, the justice system in different jurisdictions is trying to find better alternatives. Home confinement has its many pros and cons that can be interpreted to see if this is the best alternative for most arrestees.
Pros of Home Confinement
Home confinement is much cheaper for local court systems to handle instead of sending individuals to jail. On average, it can cost more than $20,000 to keep someone in jail. This cost extends to those awaiting trial for their final conviction.
If your jurisdiction allows someone to stay at home on house arrest, they can save upwards of $14,000 per year per person. Most offenders will have to pay a portion for the cost of their monitoring device and services that the court mandates.
Flexible Home Confinement Structure
Home confinement is flexible as it is a sentencing option and holding option. Home confinement is also beneficial for juvenile offenders.
Juveniles can receive a home confinement sentence as a way to enforce and encourage learning lessons and rehabilitation. House confinement is also an excellent alternative for those who have medical conditions that may strain the resources from the jurisdiction’s prison community.
Affordable Electronic Home Confinement Option
In the past, courts would order a security guard or other law enforcement official to supervise the arrestee. As mentioned earlier, depending on your jurisdiction, holding a prisoner in jail can cost upwards of $20,000 each year.
Electronic home confinement is a more affordable option that contains high-quality RFTs. Nowadays, it is more cost-effective to utilize an ankle monitoring system.
Cons of Home Confinement
One of the biggest cons of home confinement is that not everyone is eligible for this type of sentencing and service. Each county has its own specific rules as to who is qualified or not. Offenders who commit violent crimes or those who are repeat offenders are usually ineligible for home confinement.
Possible Device Tampering
Many people have developed ways to tamper with the tracking system to make it appear that they are home when they are not. There is the opportunity for offenders to take off the device, but this is unlikely if the device is installed correctly and of the highest quality.
House Arrest Violations
If someone violates their house arrest, their probation officer will either issue a warning or order for them to come in for a hearing. Based on the degree of the violation, the probation offer can recommend that the court order for the arrestee to spend the rest of their sentence in jail.
If the offense was minor, the probation officer might suggest that the court adjust the curfew or adjust the list of acceptable reasons to leave home. The court might show leniency if the violation was because of a family or personal medical emergency.
High-Quality GPS Monitoring
There are many great perks and benefits of home confinement, including some cost-saving benefits that can significantly impact your jurisdiction. Although not every offender qualifies for home confinement, many other offenders can have the opportunity to serve their sentence out at home.
Contact us now if you are looking for more information on the best high-quality GPS monitoring for offenders in your jurisdiction. Our GPS monitors have 24-hour tracking with an easy-to-use mobile app that constantly updates on its own.