Electronic Monitoring

Electronic Monitoring INTRODUCTION This research paper will define electronic monitoring, how electronic monitoring works and discuss the advantages and disadvantages. Electronic Monitoring started in 1987. British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Newfoundland are the only provinces in Canada that use electronic monitoring (EM), because they were not afraid to embrace the new technology. Electronic monitoring is not a penal sanction, but rather a means to enforcement of nonincarcerative sanctions (Tonry, 179). After the offender has served a period of incarceration and the Provincial Corrections feel the offender is a good candidate he/she may be released on EM. The judge can also make recommendations for the offender to be on EM. The primary purpose of EM is to divert offender from incarceration that can reduce cost, and avoid over-crowding at prisons (Berlin, 77).WHAT IS ELECTRONIC MONITORING a) Definition of Electronic Monitoring The offender wears a bracelet on the wrist, ankle or neck (Berlin, 77) , (which acts as a radio signally device) and this bracelet sends a continuous signal to a receiver in the offender's place of residence (which is attached to the phone) and the phone sends the signal to a computer-processing unit at the Provincial Corrections Facility.TBEC Enduro - Friars Well, Melton Mowbray - 12th O...The computer records the absence or presence of the offender during a designated time period (Goff, 323). Before the offender is released on EM, the Corrections official and offender make a schedule. This schedule makes it possible for the offender to remain at work, school, and to leave his home. During the time he is not at home, there is no signal going to the Provincial Correctional Facility. The offender is in violation when the computer does not receive the confirmation that the offender is at home (Berlin, 77).