Influence of Demographic Factors on the Experience of House Arrest

• NCJ Number: 198868
• Journal: Federal Probation Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Dated: December 2002 Pages: 64-70
• Author(s): Brian K. Payne; Randy R. Gainery
• Editor(s): Timothy P. Cadigan
• Date Published: December 2002
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the ways that demographic characteristics of offenders influenced their experience with house arrest with electronic monitoring.

Abstract

This study found that offenders preferred different sanctions based on their race, age, and gender. How these various groups respond to certain alternative sanctions such as house arrest with electronic monitoring is examined here, with four questions guiding the research. These questions relate to the differences between males and females, Blacks and Whites, older and younger persons, and the effect of different lengths of sentence in how offenders perceive and respond to house arrest with electronic monitoring. An overview of the literature on incarceration and race, female inmates, elderly inmates, the role of sentence length, and house arrest with electronic monitoring is provided. The method used to conduct this study was a survey administered to 49 electrically-monitored offenders of nearly equal Black and white representation. A survey instrument was developed to assess this experience. It was comprised of four sections: open-ended questions concerning general aspects of house arrest with electronic monitoring; close-ended sections with questions about specific costs or consequences of house arrest with electronic monitoring; close-ended questions assessing individual perceptions about its utility; and a demographic section. Factors influencing offenders' experiences and perceptions are described. In conclusion, it is noted that different offenders reacted in different ways to house arrest with electronic monitoring. It was found that those who were aware of these differences placed themselves in positions to offset any negative consequences and ultimately increase the chance that the house arrest with electronic monitoring sanction would succeed for that offender. Tables include information on consequences of house arrest with electronic monitoring by gender, perceptions about the punitiveness and fairness of the sanction by gender, consequences of house arrest with electronic monitoring by race, and perceptions about the punitiveness and fairness of the sanction by race. References