Home Monitoring Issues - Essay Example

INTRODUCTION There is now a debate on whether the inclusion of the electronic home detention program (Mainprize, 1992) for convicted felons and suspected criminals charged in court. Some say that the bad side of the story is that there have been some instances when freed criminals violated more laws and even went berserk and embarking a killing spree. The government, on the other hand and the judges feel that there a more advantages to the electronic home detention program in terms of money saved. The essay below discusses both sides of the fence. BODY Synopsis: Recommendation to Department of Corrections on home monitoring program: What is home monitoring Electronic home detention is the implementation of the approved HOME DETENTION ACT. Electronic home detention is the new trend in our criminal justice system. This is be less costly than to give free living quarters and food to suspects and convicted criminals. But the question is, will not the freed suspects violate more laws of the state when put in home monitoring (Anderson, 2002) This new trend is called electronic home detention or EHD. The procedure is to put the suspect or convicted criminal including burglary, theft, drug abuse and prison escape in the care of the home. An electronic bracelet will be clamped to the convicted felon's ankle so that a private monitoring company can easily track where the person traveled during the entire time the electronic monitoring bracelete is attached to his or her person. Many United States judges and other government bureaucrats who like the idea of cutting food and living quarter costs afforded the criminals have praised the electronic home detention justice procedure and refuse to admit that the disadvantages of the new criminal procedure outweights the advantages of such procedure. Cash-strapped cities and counties can save and earn significant amounts of money by sending lawbreakers to electronic detention rather than jail, avoiding daily incarceration costs of up to $80 per prisoner. Offenders, in turn, pay for the privilege of EHD-as much as $40 a day. Some communities in the United States that have cash flow problems feel that they can save money if the implement the electronic home detention program because incarcerating the criminals and suspects under litigation will cost the city or country an estimated $80 whereas if the criminals are put on the home monitoring program, the criminals and suspects will have to PAY the city or county $40 per day. Therefore the new trend will instead generate income for the city or county. It is on record that seven out of a total of ten United States crime violators today devote their time in the neighborhoods outside the four walls of the jail. In fact, Anderson says that "Olympia estimates that by comparing the cost of jail in Yakima ($51 per day), the savings to the city is $313,000, and if the value is based on the Olympia jail ($78 per day), the savings value would be $478,000. In addition, Olympia estimates that they will make over $120,000 on their EHD program in 2001." (Anderson, 2002) What type of offenders would be considered for this program Basically, it is the judge who decides who approves the pleadings whether to allow a convicted criminal or suspected criminal under trial will avail of the electronic home detention program. One criteria for allowing the convicted persons or suspects undergoing trial to avail of the electronic home detention program is the ability of the state to collect the $10 to $15 daily income for each person enrolled in the electronic home detention program. If the convicted felon or his relatives and friends cannot come up with the money to pay the state, then the felon or suspected felon undergoing trail will not quality for the electronic home detention program. Drug abusers are not definitely not included in this program. Only minor lawbreakers and unlicensed and drunk drivers or traffic violators are allowed to avail of this program. Another group that will be considered for this program are suspects or convicted criminal including burglary, theft, drug abuse and prison escape. Another group that has been given the home monitoring detention treatment are the convicted felons who are murderers and rapists. Washington State Department of Corrections uses this criminal procedure to track down felons that have already serve most of their sentenced lives rotting in jail and have entered into agreement with the state to enter in the electronic home detention program as one of the conditions for their parole. In fact, two convicted murderers are included in many groups of parolees that have been approved in order to lessen the crowding inside the jails. The following steps will be followed in the processsing of home monitoring program: (a) Court approval . (b) Satisfactory background check. (c) Stable, permanent residence. (d) Current, structured job with proof of employment and verification of employer's approval. (e) Telephone at his/her residence or willingness to install a telephone with no added features. (f) Approval of co-residents. (g) Willingness to absorb costs of program and monitoring services. (h) Other restrictions as applicable. CONCLUSION It is highly recommended that the persons included in the electronic home detention program be scrutinized and that the above steps a to h be followed to the letter. The program will help the county or city save an estimated $80 for each felon that is feed and sheltered in jail and the county or city will earn an estimated $ 10 to $15 per day which the felon or his or her payment to the city or county. The program will also help decongest the crowded jails in the cities and counties. Only a select few law offenders can be allowed to avail of this electronic home detection program . One criteria is that they are minor, drunk and unlicensed drivers, traffic violators and minor crime offenders. Another group of offenders that can avail of this program are those that have served a major part of the sentences in jail. REFERENCES: Mainprize, S., Electronic Monitoring in Corrections: Assessing Cost Effectiveness and the Potential for Widening the Net of Social Control, Canadian Journal of Criminology. Volume: 34. Issue: 2, 1992 Anderson, R., HOME ALONE: Electronic home detention is the latest rage in criminal justice. There's no doubt that it's cheaper than jail, but is the public's safety at risk, Seattle Weekly, June 5, 2002. Spartanburg County (http://www.spartanburgcountyjail.org/homedetention.htm) Read More