Essay on GPS Monitoring Technology: A Revolutionary Tool in Criminal Justice

Introduction

The Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring technology was invented approximately 50 years ago (Miller, 2012). Today, technology has become an integral part of the criminal justice system. GPS monitoring technology is an effective way to allow past or current offenders to still live in their communities and contribute to its wellbeing while still being monitored. The federal government and every state in the US use GPS ankle monitoring technology to track the activities and movement of defendants awaiting trial together with convicted offenders currently on probation or parole (Federal Judicial Center, 2006). The following is an in-depth description of the GPS ankle monitoring technology, its history, and the current state of the science.

Description

To understand how GPS ankle monitors work, one needs to have a grasp of motion sensors at work. Motion sensors are vital components of common gadgets and equipment that people use every day. These gadgets range from the common security systems that protect homes to the automatic doors at the supermarket. One of the common types of motion sensors is active sensors. Active sensors use radar waves or infrared to sweep an area and detect movement within that area (Easton & Frazier, 2013). When in use, a sensor releases pulse energy and calculate the echoes produced when the energy is reflected off of nearby objects.

The other type of motion sensors is referred to as passive infrared sensors. This type of sensor works by measuring the environment's infrared energy (Easton & Frazier, 2013). Because all living things emit heat, the sensors can detect that heat and issue an alert if a person or animal is in the covered area.

The last form of this technology is the beam and photoelectric sensors. This type of motion sensors relies on a focused energy beam traveling between a sensor unit and an emitter. The motion detector is triggered whenever there is an interruption of the beam (Easton & Frazier, 2013). An interruption indicates that an object has moved between the sensor and the emitter. In most cases, the beam is an invisible infrared energy. Ankle bracelets use one of these forms of technologies to relay back the position of the wearer, thereby making security personnel aware of the location of the person wearing the device.

History of GPS Ankle Monitors

The history of the electronic monitoring device began in the 1960s (Miller, 2012). In 1961, Ralph Kirkland Schwitzgebel, a Harvard graduate initiated electronic monitoring technology because he was fascinated with an electronic communication system (Miller, 2012). The first location monitoring system included a combination of portable transceivers, surplus missile tracking equipment, stationary radio-frequency relay stations, and battery packs (Easton & Frazier, 2013). The portable equipment alone was cumbersome as the individual being monitored had to carry a transmitter and timer that would be housed separately housed.

When the wearer and the transmitter were within a certain prescribed urban area, a stationery relay station would be activated every 30 seconds (Perry, 2013). The environment and the number of relay stations determined the size of the area that could be monitored. When Schwitzgebel was testing his initial experiment, the monitored area was only five square blocks. Together with his twin brother, Schwitzgebel wanted to develop a system of monitoring the movement of juvenile offenders as a way of encouraging. At the time, some of the regulations outlined that juveniles keep their appointments such as drug treatment sessions, report for a job, or attend school (Perry, 2013). To the inventors, the technology was to contribute to positive reinforcement. After keeping such appointments, the inventors hoped that the criminal justice system would offer the offenders a reward such as a free pizza, or a haircut as a means to encourage them to constantly change their behavior positively.

In 1977, Jack Love, an Arizona state district judge resuscitated the GPS monitoring technology (Stoll & Raphael, 2009). Love was exploring the means of solving the problem of frequent attempts by prisoners to escape from prison. Besides, he was also concerned with overcrowding in the correctional system. Hence, Love went back to research about the technology in the libraries that notifies authorities if a person attempts to take a book that has not been checked out through the screening device. According to Stoll and Raphael (2009), Love was also interested in the device that when inserted under the skin of an animal, could relay information about its temperature.

By 1982, Love was convinced that the combination of a nearby card-reading device and a transmitter bracelet could be used to verify if an offender on probation was at a designated location. His idea inspired Michael T Goss to establish National Incarceration Monitor and Control Services, inc. (NIMCOS). Goss invented a small device, capable of sending a radio signal for approximately 100 meters (Fond, 2005). In the offender’s residence, a stationary receiving unit would be placed. The stationary unit was linked by a telephone line to the county’s computers. A monitoring officer would know that the probationer had left the area if the residential unit was not registering a signal (Stoll & Raphael, 2009). The technology behind the GPS monitoring device evolved rapidly, especially with the use of GPS and cell tower. For the first time, the technology was able to offer precise location, thereby replacing the radio signal.

Current State of Monitoring Science and Present Day Practical Use

Today, the monitoring system has advanced tremendously. Its role has been expanded too. While in the past the technology was confined to the courts, states have turned the electronic monitors into cost-effective instruments of freeing up space in jail due to the high cost of incarceration as well as overcrowding in jails (Black & Smith, 2003). Besides, technology is now being used to aid in the reintegration and rehabilitation process of offenders (Federal Judicial Center, 2006). As a result, states are using the ankle bracelets to get offenders back into the community so that they can work, access vital social services, and pay taxes (Perry, 2013).

Electronic monitoring devices have emerged as effective tools in dealing with the issue of immigration too. In 2018, when dealing with illegal immigrants, officers at the border were accused of being inhumane due to the practice of separating immigrant families at the border crossing (National Immigration Forum, 2019). The Flores Settlement Agreement prevents the government from holding migrant families with young children indefinitely. Owing to its success, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is in the process of adopting the technology to increase its surveillance and cooperation with people who might be a threat to national security (National Immigration Forum, 2019).

One of the recent important developments in the field of electronic monitoring is the invention of two-way communication and multiple tracking signals. This type of ankle bracelet uses both cellular and GPS signals to offer overlapping coverage for a certain location (Easton & Frazier, 2013). The use of both signals allows for the tracking of offenders in areas of poor coverage or inside buildings where GPS coverage may be poor (Adams, 2007). Moreover, to help offenders to observe the terms of their parole, the improved ankle bracelet draws a virtual fence on the map within the electronic monitoring system as well as printed maps for each offender, showing locations that they should avoid (Perry, 2013). Increased and precise monitoring has contributed to reduced recidivism rates in the US. As reported by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina, recidivism among monitored offenders is as low as 3%, in comparison to the 80% national average (Kilgore, 2015).

One of the emerging uses of GPS ankle monitoring technology is the use as an investigative tool. By linking people who are being monitored to scenes of crime, it becomes possible to add or eliminate suspects. Electronic monitors are now used by detectives to help in speeding up investigation since the system allows for the ability to effectively eliminate or identify suspects as well as witnesses (Miller & Gaines, 2014). Because the ankle monitors can send location data periodically, officers can compare the feedback to crime reports to identify which offender might have been near a crime scene.

Conclusion

As revealed, the evolution of electronic monitoring technology has a long history. The technology has evolved tremendously from cumbersome and rudimentary technology to smart and light technology that has a wide application. In particular, it has emerged that GPS ankle monitors are playing an important role in speeding up investigations because detectives can speedily add or eliminate suspects. Moreover, it has emerged that this technology has potential applications outside the traditional role of monitoring offenders because it can now be used to handle the emerging problem posed by immigrants. It can also be used to monitor persons suspected of being terrorists. With the incorporation of smartphones, there is a high likelihood that a high level of positive reinforcement will be achieved in the near future.

References

Adams, D. (2007). Why do they kill?: Men who murder their intimate partners. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press.

Black, M., & Smith, R. G. (2003). Electronic monitoring in the criminal justice system. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.

Easton, R. D., & Frazier, E. F. (2013). GPS declassified: From smart bombs to smartphones. Lincoln, Nebraska: Potomac Books.

Federal Judicial Center. (2006). The third branch. Stamford: Cengage Learning.

Fond, J. (2005). Preventing sexual violence: How society should cope with sex offenders. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Kilgore, J. W. (2015). Understanding mass incarceration: A people's guide to the key civil rights struggle of our time. New York: The New Press.

Miller, W. R. (2012). The social history of crime and punishment in America: An encyclopedia. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE.

National Immigration Forum. (2019, Feb 22). Fact sheet: Electronic monitoring devices as alternatives to detention. Retrieved from https://immigrationforum.org/article/fact-sheet-electronic-monitoring-devices-as-alternatives-to-detention/

Perry, W. L. (2013). Predictive policing: The role of crime forecasting in law enforcement operations. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

Stoll, M. A., & Raphael, S. (2009). Do prisons make us safer?: The benefits and costs of the prison boom. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.