The New Invisible Prison in America, Electronic Monitoring by GPS

• In Event: Roundtable: Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Policy

Abstract

Amid community concerns about the punitive nature of electronic monitoring (EM) and EM’s relationship to the Fourth Amendment, multiple federal and state court cases have concluded that EM is not punitive (Markham, J., 2010; Nellis, M., 2014; Welty, 2014). Studying these conclusions positions us to pose questions about the nature of EM, EM’s impact on recidivism, and EM’s effect on the life of the offender receive (United States Courts Office of Probation and Pretrial Services ,2011). More importantly, the actions of local law enforcement agencies in using EM prior to adjudication of a suspect needs to be examined. This paper examines cases of local law enforcement actions and uses of EM prior to adjudication. Evidenced-based practices for suspect tracking and offender monitoring are also discussed. Implementation of EM in urban and sub-urban law enforcement agencies, and implications for policy, practice and research are considered.

Authors

• Karen T. Jackson, North Carolina A & T University

• Ernest L. Cuthbertson, North Carolina A & T University