CFC OKLAHOMA

January 27, 2009

"Sex Offenders' GPS Devices Not a Silver Bullet, States Say"

The title of this post is the title of this intriguing article from the site Government Technology.  Here are excerpts from the start of a piece that is a must-read for anyone hoping (or fearing) that GPS tracking is the future of corrections:

GPS monitoring -- embraced as a simple technological solution for tracking the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders -- is proving to be something less than a silver bullet for state and local public safety agencies.

 

Convinced that GPS monitoring was the answer to the sex offender problem, judges and lawmakers began mandating the technology for high-profile parolees. Beginning in 2005, the technology was widely deployed as means to ensure that offenders complied with the terms of their release, such as staying a safe distance from schools or a victim's home.

Monitoring systems typically consist of a GPS receiver/portable tracking device, radio frequency transmitter, stationary charging unit, cellular telephone and computer software to review GPS data. The devices allow officials to track the parolees' whereabouts -- when everything works properly and when offender cooperates.

But there are problems with the way the technology is used and monitored.  False alarms number in the thousands in some jurisdictions, straining manpower and casting doubt on the viability of GPS as a tracking tool for high-profile felons.

In Arizona, a 2007 legislative study found more than 35,000 false alerts by 140 subjects wearing the GPS-monitoring devices.  In California, the percentage of transient parolees, those who've been declared homeless, has increased by 900 percent since a law was passed that included GPS as part of the solution.  Now, officials say, they're guessing about where the offenders are because more have become transient and the GPS monitoring can be unreliable, especially when the offenders lack real housing where they can charge the devices....

Though public safety officials typically agree that GPS is a valuable tool, they say it's not a replacement for personal contact with the subject, his co-workers, family and friends that keeps the offender honest.

Some related posts on GPS tracking and related technocorrections:

• Is the future parole with GPS and other techno-reentry devices?
• The inevitability of GPS tracking and cost-saving technocorrections
• Another reason to believe GPS technocorrections are inevitable
• Why tight budget times will speed path to technocorrections
• Are microchip implants for offenders inevitable?
• UK getting serious about GPS through microchip implants
• Are we willing to pay the costs of (effective?) technocorrections like GPS tracking?
• The devil's in the details of GPS tracking of sex offenders
• More on the pros and cons of GPS tracking
• More reasons to expect a GPS-world of corrections
• New article examining incapacitation innovations