NCJ Number
141017
Journal
Deviant Behavior Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: (1992) Pages: 21-32
Date Published
1992
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The use of electronic means to control and punish offenders in the community has expanded rapidly in the past decade, but the effects of electronically monitored home confinement (EMHC) on the mental health of offenders have not been investigated adequately.
Abstract
As of 1989, more than 6,500 offenders were under EMHC supervision in 32 States. Offenders placed on EMHC are usually nonviolent and not generally considered a threat to society. The current trend among EMHC programs appears to be toward gradual expansion to include offenders at higher risk levels. This trend is likely to continue due to jail and prison overcrowding faced by courts and parole authorities. Supporters of using technology to facilitate behavioral change suggest that EMHC may have value as a rehabilitative intervention in community corrections to change offender patterns of perception and interaction. On the other hand, critics of EMHC base their fears on the legal-moral grounds that such sanctions will expand the net of social control. Preliminary studies of EMHC indicate that it can reduce parole and probation revocations for new crimes. The present study evaluated the effect of EMHC on the mental health of offenders. All subjects included in the study were adults on probation or parole for felony offenses in two large metropolitan areas of the southwestern United States. A survey format was used to collect data on dysphoria, cursory substance abuse, criminal histories, and sociodemographic status. Information was obtained on 77 EMHC offenders and 49 offenders under traditional forms of community supervision. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to assess dysphoria. Study data did not demonstrate any discernible impact of EMHC on the mental health of offenders. The authors conclude that while EMHC is probably a safe method of social control for offenders in the community, it can only provide a controlled setting in which other behavioral change methods can be employed. Further research is recommended to study the effects of EMHC on other aspects of the offender's mental state (self-image) and behavior (recidivism). 27 references