Poster #213 - The Impact of GPS Monitoring and VOOP History on New VOOP Arrests and Other Pretrial Outcomes

• In Event: ASC Poster Session II

Abstract

Cook County operates a GPS monitoring program to supervise individuals charged with domestic violence-related offenses, including establishing an exclusion zone to protect complaining witnesses and monitoring the defendant’s location to ensure compliance. Much of the electronic monitoring (EM) literature has produced mixed results, suggesting that public safety outcomes are not improved for individuals ordered to EM. However, EM persists as a tool for judges responsible for adjudicating cases, especially for domestic violence cases.
This poster presents findings from a mixed methods study of GPS monitoring in Cook County. Through a matched outcome comparison utilizing Propensity Score Matching, we found that GPS monitoring does not improve risk of rearrest, court appearance, or arrest for a new violation of a protection order (VOOP). Results indicate that having a history of VOOPs is the strongest predictor of our outcomes of interest, and that GPS monitoring is significant only as a predictor of risk of new VOOP, and this slightly elevated risk may reflect increased surveillance and increased odds of detection, not an increase in actual behavior. Themes from qualitative interviews with stakeholders, including individuals on GPS monitoring, victim advocates, home confinement staff, public defenders, and states attorneys are also presented to contextualize findings.

Author

• Carly McCabe, Cook County Adult Probation Department