Home Confinement with Electronic Monitoring

Home confinement with electronic monitoring is an intermediate sanction in that it exerts more control on the offender’s behavior and freedom than regular probation, but it provides less control than incarceration. Home confinement is not a sentence in and of itself but may be a condition of probation, parole or supervised release, as well as a condition of pre-trial release (Federal Corrections 2000). Home confinement with electronic monitoring is used in some areas as an alternative to jail to help relieve overcrowding.

The National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project’s National Agenda calls for home confinement in conjunction with treatment and close supervision. Under this sanction, offenders are under court order to be at home during specified hours. They may leave for pre-approved activities, such as work or to attend a treatment program. The electronic monitoring device is usually a tamper-resistant transmitter attached to the offender’s ankle. The transmitter emits a radio frequency signal detected by a unit connected to the home phone. When the transmitter comes within range of the unit, the unit calls a monitoring center to indicate the participant is at home.

In other monitoring systems, random programmed telephone calls are made to the offender. A camera takes a picture of the offender to ensure identity, and breathalyzer information is relayed by telephone to a computer.

Electronic monitoring is not a sanction in and of itself. Rather, it is a technology used to ensure compliance with the sanction of home confinement. The home confinement program requires more than just electronic monitoring; treatment and close supervision to bring about lifestyle changes are crucial.

Electronic monitoring permits the offender to stay in the community, maintain employment and avoid the stigma of incarceration. A 2002 evaluation of offenders on electronic monitoring in Minnesota found almost 75 percent of participants were employed full or part-time, both upon enrollment in electronic monitoring and after discharge (Minnesota Department of Corrections 2002).

Where Is Home Confinement with Electronic Monitoring Used?

Based on information gathered from the National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project Survey, 36 states and the District of Columbia permit this sanction. According to a 2000 report by the National Transportation Safety Board, an estimated 75,000 people are on electronic monitoring each day. In Minnesota, high BAC offenders may be released from jail only if they abstain from alcohol and undergo daily electronic monitoring.

How Effective Is Home Confinement with Electronic Monitoring?

A study of the Los Angeles County Electronic Monitoring/Home Detention program found one year after entering the program, the recidivism rate for offenders was cut by about 33 percent. Offenders said the program was effective because it offered monitoring, structure and support for an extended time period (Jones, Lacey, and Wilizowski 1996).

The Western County, Pennsylvania, house arrest with electronic monitoring program experienced a 98 percent success rate in keeping electronically monitored offenders from drinking and driving. In the first year of operation only one offender was removed from the program. The study found successful attendance at treatment and employment were significantly related to success while on electronic monitoring (Courtright, Berg, and Mutchnick 2000).

A 2002 Minnesota Department of Corrections study found only a slight percentage (between one and two percent) of offenders were arrested for a new DWI offense while participating in the state’s pre-sentence electronic monitoring program. A 1998 study of both pre- and post-sentence electronic monitoring participants in Minnesota found 85 percent of pre-sentence offenders and 95 percent of post-sentence participants successfully completed the program. Only one of the 945 participants was re-arrested for an alcohol offense (Minnesota Department of Corrections 2002).

What Is the Cost of Home Confinement with Electronic Monitoring?

Some programs are self-sufficient, with costs paid by the offenders, based on ability to pay. In several states, the cost ranges from $3 to $10 a day. Offenders in the Western County, Pennsylvania, program pay $8 a day to participate. The Los Angeles County program costs participants an average of $15 a day. A 1996 study involving 639 offenders in the Los Angeles County program found placing them on the electronic monitoring program instead of sending them to jail resulted in a savings of nearly $1 million (Jones, Wiliszowski, and Lacey 1996).

"A benefit of the home confinement program is that it costs about one-third the cost of custody. In providing an alternative to incarceration, it allows defendants and offenders to continue to contribute to the support of their families and pay taxes. Moreover, courts may order program participants to pay all or part of electronic monitoring costs" (Federal Corrections and Supervision Division 2000).

Where to Go for More Information on Home Confinement with Electronic Monitoring

Schmidt, A.K. 1998. Electronic monitoring: what does the literature tell us? Federal Probation: A Journal of Correctional Philosophy and Practice (December): 10–19.

Federal Corrections and Supervision Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. 2000. Court and Community: An Information Series about U.S. Probation and Pre-trial Services. Washington, DC: Federal Corrections and Supervision Division, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Department of Criminal Justice. 1998. Arkansas Crime Poll. Electronic Monitoring. Little Rock, AR: University of Arkansas.