Content area
Full text
Author's Note: Findings and conclusions reported in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
With rising costs and shrinking budgets, corrections administrators are always looking for ways to reduce costs. A study of highrisk sex offenders on parole in California showed that those placed on Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring had significantly lower recidivism rates than those who received traditional supervision.1 The GPS monitoring system also proved to be more cost-effective than traditional supervision. GPS is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near earth. It uses a network of satellites to produce accurate time and position information, such as the physical position of an offender wearing a tamper-resistant bracelet that receives transmission from the satellites to calculate the offender's location. States are now using GPS to monitor and track offenders on parole.
The study included 516 high-risk parolees who had been released from prison between January 2006 and March 2009. High-risk populations were identified using a standardized instrument called Static-99. Fifty percent of the parolees wore GPS monitoring devices in addition to receiving traditional parole supervision, which involved regular contact by parole agents and weekly sex-offender treatment classes (GPS group). The other 50 percent received only traditional parole supervision (traditional group). Researchers tracked the parolees for one year following their initial parole dates. The study involved two kinds of evaluation: an outcome evaluation - to assess the cost and effectiveness in reducing criminal behavior; and a process evaluation - to assess the program's design and implementation.
Outcome Evaluation
The researchers analyzed information from the state's data management system and examined official arrest records, parole supervision records, GPS monitoring data and state cost information. In addition, they conducted a survey of roughly 1,000 California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) parole officers. The survey included questions about the GPS monitoring system, caseloads, program staffing and screening of high-risk sex offender parolees.
The results showed that GPS monitoring was more effective than traditional parole in reducing recidivism and was also more cost-effective. Parolees in the traditional group - those not placed on GPS monitoring - committed new crimes and...