Discuss the history and function of the correctional uses of GPS.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. The most sophisticated from of monitoring offenders in the community is through a global positioning system (GPS). GPS uses 24 military satellites that orbit the earth and five ground control stations to pinpoint locations anywhere in the world using data coordinates. Offenders wear a permanent ankle bracelet, and they also carry a GPS receiver containing a microprocessor, antennae, and battery-charging unit. The external equipment is small enough to fit in a waist pack or purse, but the offender must always be within a certain distance (e.g., 50-150 feet) of the portable receiver (Greek, 2002). The GPS portable receiver replaces the receiver that was plugged into the landline phone on the home-bound systems. The transmitter and receiver serve as the medium between the satellite and the central control unit that monitors offender locations. Some systems integrate the receiver and transmitter as one component on the bracelet (Armstrong and Freeman, 2009). Active GPS systems transmit the data through wireless networks, similar to a cell phone. Active systems are also known as real-time units, because data can be transmitted often with a short lag time. The offender's transmitter emits a radio frequency signal once or twice per minute. At once per minute, there are 1,400 track points in a 24-hour period. In a passive GPS system, the daytime tracking data are temporarily stored and downloaded at night through a landline phone while the offender is sleeping. Some systems require the offender to bring in the equipment periodically for a download to an off-site monitoring center that permanently stores the data. GPS is not completely foolproof. A motivated offender could cut through the ankle device with specialized tools. The primary drawback, though, is cost. Real-time active GPS systems cost $10 to $16 for the equipment, whereas passive GPS costs $5 per day, which is still less expensive than building new facilities, especially as older facilities become too expensive to repair (Levin, 2008b). Although it is less expensive than prison, it also may not provide the punitive aspect of prisons that many in the public wish to have in the corrections system.