NCJ Number
121721
Journal
Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: (1989) Pages: 147-169
Date Published
1989
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This evaluation of the Allen County Superior Court Juvenile Electronic Monitoring Pilot Project (Indiana) indicates that a well-designed electronic monitoring program for juveniles has many advantages and is an appropriate alternative for juvenile offenders.
Abstract
The program was a pilot project offered to juveniles that had been adjudicated delinquent and sentenced to either Indiana Boys School or Indiana Girls School. The program was voluntary and involved 6 month monitoring, under which juveniles could not leave their homes, except to attend school or work, without their probation officers' permission. The "On Guard" electronic monitoring system consisted of an encoder device attached to the juvenile's wrist with a band. The juvenile was required to insert the encoder into a verifier box, attached to a telephone in the juvenile's home, whenever a computer-generated random call was received. The evaluation consisted of pre-structured and post-structured face-to-face interviews with both juveniles selected for the program and their parents or guardians. Findings indicate that the program conditioned juveniles to be responsible for their behavior and provided a structure for them to avoid criminal activity. Additional research is necessary before definitive results and recommendations are possible. 28 references.