It is believed that some of the inventors of the electronic monitoring (EM) device originally thought up their invention as a reward, not a punitive mechanism. According to Emma Anderson, in her article in NPR, the Gable brothers used old military equipment to create a system aimed at positively reinforcing juvenile offenders for punctuality. Their idea was to have radio devices communicate to authorities that the offenders were at the location they were supposed to be. Offenders compliant with requirements would receive free haircuts, pizza, pies, or concert tickets for behaving well.

Of the many benefits that EM bestow upon offenders, the fact that they don’t have to carry out their punishment within a gated prison is probably one of the greatest. Beyond the unpleasant physical conditions that they seek to avoid, many offenders also want to stay out of prisons because once in, chances are they’ll be back relatively soon. Research by the Bureau of Justice Statistics focusing on recidivism reveals that 5 out of 6 state prisoners in the US are arrested once more within 9 years of their release.

EM programs enable participating offenders to carry out their sentence in their own homes, surrounded by their support system. While not ideal, EM programs may just be offenders’ best chance to break out of the world of crime.

The Importance of Establishing the Connection between EM and Reduced Recidivism

It’s a well-established fact that high rates of recidivism negatively impact public safety. Recidivism significantly increases law enforcement and criminal justice costs, and causes huge individual, societal and economic expenses. By clearly establishing a link between EM programs and reduced recidivism, it will be much easier to convince additional countries’ criminal justice systems to consider adopting them. You can read more about the implementations of EM programs in different countries in our recent article: Making sense of Electronic Monitoring: a review of EM use in correction programs.

True, not everyone is convinced that EM by itself reduces recidivism. They claim, and rightfully so, that there are many factors at play that may also influence the chance that an offender will again find themselves in trouble with the law. Variables like the offender’s gender, age, additional demographics, type of offense, number of prior offenses, monitoring technology (RF, GPS), and much more – all can impact recidivism rates.

That being said, we’ve decided to embark on a high-level meta-analysis of EM research and use cases to find out if the facts and numbers indeed support the theory that EM in and of itself reduces recidivism. So without further ado, here’s what we dug up for you.

EM and reduced recidivism – what does research have to say? 

• Australia – In Australia, a research spanning two years and 16,475 cases found a 25% decrese in recidivism among EM program participants when compared to the prison sample.
  
• Sweden – A Swedish three-year study found that recidivism rates among a group of early releasers who finished their sentence with EM monitoring were significantly lower than the comparison group.
• Spain – A 2001 study from Spain found zero recidivism among EM monitored offenders. The same study found a 38% recidivism rate among imprisoned offenders, and that 9% of offenders sentenced to community service became reoffenders.
• France – A relatively large sample study from France suggests that EM reduces the likelihood of recidivism by 18% over 5 years, compared to the corresponding group of imprisoned offenders. The study highlighted the fact that recidivism was significantly lower among EM program participants who received regular at-home visits from parole officers, were employed during the program, and had already been in prison before.
• USA – The largest study of recidivism among EM program participants was carried out in the US in 2010. The study analyzed 270,000 monitored individuals in Florida and found that EM reduced recidivism by 30% compared to unmonitored offenders under community supervision.

Enhancing EM’s potential to reduce recidivism even further

It’s clear from the studies presented above that EM definitely has the potential to reduce recidivism. To maximize this potential, we believe that EM programs should incorporate supporting mechanisms that will reduce recidivism rates even further.

Substance abuse programs. Some EM program participants turn to drugs and alcohol to help them deal with the ongoing tedium of staying at home for extended periods, which significantly increases their likelihood of getting into trouble. By making it easy for EM participants to access substance abuse programs, it is possible to help them overcome these temptations and stick to their rehabilitation programs.

Vocational training. Offenders who have something to lose are less likely to take risks that might endanger their newfound livelihoods. Vocational training programs combined with permission and encouragement to seek real employment and become a productive part of society can go a long way in helping offenders stick to the straight and narrow.

High cadence of at-home visits. Maintaining a close connection between correctional institutions and EM program participants is critical to ensuring that offenders stay out of prison. Frequent at-home visits from parole officers enable tighter supervision practices and policies that encourage offenders to successfully reenter society.

Personalized approach. No two offenders are alike in terms of their needs, challenges, and the right strategy to prevent them from reoffending. Every EM program should take a personalized approach that considers each participant’s motivations, learning abilities and mental health issues.

Conclusion

EM has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a reward mechanism for juvenile offenders. While there is a clear connection between EM programs and reduced recidivism, there are some who claim that the correlation is impacted by many other factors. However, when looking at research from across the world there is indisputable evidence that when managed correctly, EM programs that personalize their approach to individual circumstances and provide a robust support system can potentially reduce the likelihood of recidivism.