Evaluating the Utility of Electronic Monitoring: Why Don't We Listen to the Research?

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Article Reviewed: Bonta, J., Wallace-Capretta, S., & Rooney, J. (2000). Can electronic monitoring make a difference? An evaluation of three Canadian programs. Crime & Delinquency, 46(1), 61-75.

Electronic monitoring (EM) was implemented in the United States during the 1980s in order to enforce house arrest. This sanction consists of an electronic device, worn by the offender that emits a signal indicating the offender's location to authorities when the offender leaves his or her residence. Although probationers were originally sentenced to EM, the expectations of this cost-effective, community-based alternative to incarceration lead to its substantial use with the inmate population. The popularity of EM programs has continued to flourish, especially in the United States. Currently, four Canadian provinces (Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Ontario) employ EM programs.

According to Bonta, Wallace-Capretta and Rooney (2000), evaluation studies of EM have raised two significant questions. First, the authors query whether EM is a "true alternative to incarceration" or whether it simply has a "net-widening effect?" Specifically, they suggest that most EM programs utilize highly stringent selection processes to screen out offenders with a history of violence, ensuring that only low risk candidates are placed on the sanction. Bonta et al. report that the low-risk nature of many electronically monitored offenders appears to represent a group who could be managed in the community in a less intrusive manner. …