Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/tag/electronic-monitoring/)
In the 1960s, when electronic monitoring (EM) was developed by Robert and Kirk Gable at Harvard University, Robert Gable says they envisioned it as a way to monitor juvenile offenders and “to give rewards to [them] when they were where they were supposed to be …
The plague of mass incarceration in the United States has captured national attention, with substantial bipartisan support to resolve this crisis. Even as we recognize the problem, however, it is important to think critically about proposed alternatives. There is a growing consensus among developmental researchers and juvenile justice decision-makers that incarceration is particularly damaging to youth.
Remember when you were a teenager? Did you ever hang out at the mall with friends, occasionally cut class or do other impulsive things with very little thought about the consequences?
Electronic monitoring is being used for medium and high-risk felony offenders of all ages across the country. According to a recent study from the Florida State University College of Criminology, electronic monitoring is effective for adults and juveniles, especially when used with GPS technology. Researchers found 1 in 3 offenders placed under electronic monitoring would have gone to prison if the surveillance option had not been available to the courts. They say it costs six times more to incarcerate an offender in state prison than to place them on electronic monitoring. The research concludes that electronic surveillance is a cost effective tool, though not a perfect one.