R Street Institute

Op-Eds

Active electronic monitoring a viable alternative to pretrial detention

by Jesse Kelley
June 19, 2018
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issues: Bail System Changes, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties, Electronic Monitoring, Jails, Pretrial, Reentry
originally published in The Hill
Across the United States, approximately 450,000 people are held in jail while awaiting trial, costing taxpayers more than $38 million on a daily basis. By implementing active electronic monitoring, states can establish an effective alternative to pretrial detention, all while promoting public safety and decreasing the cost of incarceration.

When it comes to dealing with defendants during the time between arrest and trial, judges have several options. The first option is to release the defendant on his own recognizance — meaning that the court trusts the defendant to continue to appear in court on scheduled dates without paying bail or being detained. Usually those released have been charged with a nonviolent or less-serious misdemeanor like as shoplifting, traffic violations, technical crimes and first offenses.

[Read the full op-ed over at The Hill.]

 

 

Image credit: M-SUR

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