GPS-EM and Stakeholder Expectations

• In Event: Police Management of High-Risk Individuals and Critical Incidents

Abstract

Technological developments, such as Global Positioning System-Electronic Monitoring (GPS-EM), in managing those on court-mandated community supervision orders are increasingly common. These technologies vary in effectiveness given the types of offenders to whom these devices are applied, such as domestic violence (DV) offenders or offenders who sexually target children. Offenders may variably challenging to supervise given the nature of their offense patterns, their modi operandi, their relationships with victims and their positions in the community more broadly. Further, stakeholder expectations associated with this type of technology often does not fully acknowledge the limitations of the technology itself. Stakeholders involved in the management of offenders, such as agents of the criminal justice system, tend to view the purpose and ‘success’ of these applications much differently. For example, stakeholders directly involved in managing offenders view GPS-EM devices as forms of both punishment and rehabilitation. Those less directly involved – including victims, the public and politicians – tend to view these devices as a means of eliminating the occurrence of future criminal activity and as a means of providing heightened safety and security. Our study examines stakeholders’ expectations and perceptions of ‘successful’ applications of this offender management technology.

Authors

• Erin Elan Gibbs Van Brunschot, University of Calgary

• Tamara Humphrey, University of Calgary