Short- and Long- Term Impact of GPS Tethering on Domestic Violence Violations

• In Event: Roundtable: Does Electronic Monitoring Reduce Recidivism?

Abstract

Addressing the short- and long- term effectiveness of GPS monitoring on the behavior of DV defendants, Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was applied to data from two large and established programs: “Midwest” (with a relatively rigid regime of supervision) and “West” (with a more relaxed regime of monitoring and subversion). This quasi-experimental evaluation of GPS systems’ effectiveness addressed the impact of GPS on defendants’ a) program violations (including GPS’s deterrent effects on contact violations), and b) likelihood of re-arrest, both while tethered to GPS and during the one-year period following release from tethering. In the Midwest site, a total of 2052 defendants deemed suitable by the court for GPS monitoring over a two-year period (2006-8) comprised the sample; they spent the pretrial period either on GPS, on RF, in jail, or were released on their own recognizance sans any form of supervision. In the West site, a total of 1000 defendants who were considered appropriate for GPS monitoring over sixty four months (Oct 2001 – Jan 2007) comprised the sample; the defendants in this site were placed on GPS, kept in jail, or released on bond without supervision. A series of PSM analyses were conducted using data from each of these sites. Analysis indicates that on average GPS monitoring significantly reduced the risk of new offending (measured by arrest) during the one year follow-up period by approximately 13% in the Midwest site and 12% in the West site. Furthermore, analysis reveals that GPS monitoring significantly reduced the likelihood of short term offending (i.e., while in the program, excluding technical violations) by 6% in the Midwest and 7.6% in the West site. Results showing that GPS is effective in deterring defendants from (physically) contacting victims supports the view that GPS “puts teeth” into restraining orders, and may also reduce recidivism.

Authors

• Oren M. Gur, Pennsylvania State University, Abington College

• Peter R. Ibarra, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Jon Maskaly, University of Texas at Dallas