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Electronic Jails - A New Criminal Justice Concern

NCJ Number
97353
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1985) Pages: 1-22
Author(s)
B Berry
Date Published
1985
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses a new instrument which electronically detects the whereabouts of an individual linked to the device and transmits this information to a host computer site.
Abstract
The hardware is an anklet or bracelet equipped to emit a distinctive digital code verifying the presence or absence of the wearer within a determined radius. The issues related to the use of the device include constitutional questions of electronic surveillance, particularly regarding Title III. In addition there is the issue of informed consent. The paper raises questions about the extent to which consenting recipients are informed and the extent to which their consent is consensual. Moreover, there are economic and social cost considerations. The author suggests guidelines for appropriate target populations and procedures. Dangers, such as widening the correctional net, are addressed. Thirty-nine footnotes are provided. (Author abstract modified)