The sheer multitude of technical innovation in the last century has transformed almost every aspect of contemporary life, from GPS and social networking to touch screen smart phones. Society has moved on, why hasn’t compliance monitoring technology?
Improvements in electronic technology and the increasing pressure of prison costs, overcrowding and recidivism rates has made the prospect of offender monitoring much more appealing. To date, electronic monitoring has been primarily used as a way of providing the location of offenders but not much else. To some who have successfully reintegrated into the community, ankle monitors are incarceration by another name. They are expensive, unsightly, and automatically show the public that the person wearing it has been in trouble with the law. By utilizing electronic monitoring in the form of a smart phone, offenders are more easily accepted into the community and can foster confidence in their rehabilitation.
With innovations in technology, such as the TRACKphone™, supervising officers can dispense positive reinforcement and rehabilitative support while enforcing compliance. Offenders equipped with the TRACKphone™ are verified with biometric identity confirmation and are given behavioral assessments to evaluate their risk score. Trends in their usage of the phone can be identified and provide their supervisor with valuable insight into what specific therapeutic materials would most benefit the offender. Cognitive behavioral therapy and rehabilitative support enhances the offender’s quality of life and significantly reduces their chance of committing another crime and returning to prison.
One of the largest advantages with innovative electronic monitoring is the ability to maintain necessary control of individuals in the community while providing them the opportunity to maintain family ties, employment, and self-improvement.