Electronic monitoring is an intermediate sanction that applies to offenders as an alternative to incarceration. Electronic monitoring can be used as a pretrial or post-trial measure depending on the circumstances. This sanction is used for offenders in all fifty states and can monitor location, blood alcohol level, or breath (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2019). The sanction is used for mild offenders, such as drunk drivers (Homant, 2013). The sanction usually monitors the location of an offender using GPS and Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) to make sure that the offender stays away from restricted areas and does not take any alcohol (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2019). The benefits of the sanction are evident, as the offenders have a chance to stay with family members, continue working, and be a part of the community (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2019). Electronic monitoring helps to avoid the stigma associated with incarceration and helps to control the population of prisons. However, there are some controversial situations where a person may need to enter a restricted area to perform his or her job duties, pick up an elderly relative during bad weather, or take a sick child to the hospital. Moreover, electronic monitoring may impede a convict’s ability to go to job interviews, access employment and education, receive medical treatment, and participate in family or community life (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2019).
I believe that benefits outweigh the drawbacks as electronic monitoring is associated with fewer expenses to the government and less restriction to the offender in comparison with incarceration. Technology plays the central part in supervising drunk drivers, as electronic monitoring would be impossible without GPS and SCRAM technologies. Even though in this case, technology does lead to better outcomes in comparison with incarceration, technology does not always lead to better community supervision outcomes. In particular, monitoring offenders’ locations requires the close attention of the supervisors. However, supervisors do not always have enough time due to increased workload.
References
Electronic Frontier Foundation. (2019). Electronic monitoring. EFF.
Homant, R. (2013). Intermediate sanctions. The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 1-5.