Work Release, Halfway Houses, & Alternative Sentencing Programs
Scenario
Overcrowded prisons, rising costs associated with incarceration, and budget constraints have motivated corrections agencies to look for ways to save money or to make programs more cost-effective. Alternative sentencing programs, such as Work Release and Halfway Houses are beginning to show promise

Work Release and Halfway House programs provide opportunities for supervised inmates to gradually reintegrate into the community. All-or-nothing cost-cutting measures, like the early release of inmates, often don't prepare offenders for reintegration into society and can ultimately contribute to increased recidivism rates, costing the public much more in the long run.

Work Release also allows for offenders to earn wages and support their families rather than accumulating debt while in prison. Additionally, offenders can be away from the corruptive influence of hardened criminals. The main concern associated with such Alternative Sentencing Programs is the quality and level of supervision; community safety must be maintained

Solution
GPS tracking allows enrolled offenders to participate in Alternative Sentencing Programs while maintaining community safety. STEALTH TRAC's 24/7/365 intensive monitoring allows corresponding officers to be notified in the event of non compliance. Removal of the equipment can be done, but not without agency personnel being notified. Both PTU's and transmitters have tamper detection systems that ensure that offenders are electronically "tethered" to the equipment and that location/violation data are accurate and authentic.

Participants can contribute to society without having to carry awkward, heavy, or obtrusive equipment. Enrolled offenders can learn how to reintegrate into society while being held accountable to compliance parameters. Schedules and curfews, set by agency personnel, keep offenders accountable to their daily use of time and teach offenders the value of a consistent routine.

In some areas, agencies have implemented offender pay programs in conjunction with GPS and work release. The offender earns wages and pay for the tracking services themselves. Such programs succeed in increasing levels of offender supervision, helping offenders support their families, and increasing the chances of long-term rehabilitation - all at no cost to the agency.

Similar derivations of alternative sentencing programs linked with GPS tracking systems are quickly becoming a preferred treatment method for Juveniles and Misdemeanant Offenders, rather than incarceration.