246 {) Corrections and Prison Practices—Adult Forensics
Community corrections programs achieve this goal by providing punishment in a
less expensive manner while, at the same time, emphasizing public education of
electronic-monitoring devices. For example, it costs $14,000 to care for each of-
fender in prison per year. The probation system has estimated the cost ot electronic-
monitoring programs for each offender to be only about $15 per day (J. Beck,
1990). Tins figure includes the cost of equipment as well as all other costs of super-
vision.
The overriding reason for alternatives to incarceration is to reduce prison crowd-
ing and the financial burden of incarceration that has led to today's crisis in cor-
rections. With the advent of this crisis, community corrections programs have the
responsibility to educate the public on electronic-monitoring devices. For example,
there are two basic types of electronic-monitoring devices. Continuously Signaling
Devices constantly monitor the presence of an offender at a particular location.
Programmed Contact Devices contact the offender periodically to verify his or
her presence. A Continuously Signaling Device has three major parts: a transmit-
ter attached to the offender sends out a continuous signal. Usually transmitters are
attached to an offenders wrist or ankle. Transmitters produced by some manufac-
turers send an altered signal to indicate to correctional officials that an electronic-
monitoring device was tampered with. A receiver-dialer located in the offender's
home is attached to his or her telephone and detects signals from the transmitter.
The receiver-dialer reports to the central computer when it stops receiving the
signal and when it starts receiving it again. A central computer accepts reports from
the receiver-dialer over telephone lines, compares them with the offender's curfew
schedule, and alerts correctional officials to any unauthorized absences. The com-
puter also stores information about routine entries and exits of each offender so
that reports can be prepared.
Programmed Contact Devices provide an alternative strategy. They contact the
offender at intervals to verify that the person is located where he or she is required
to be. Programmed Contact Devices use a computer programmed to telephone
the offender during the monitored hours either randomly or at specifically selected
times. The computer is also programmed to prepare reports on the results of the call.
Moreover, each manufacturer uses a different method to assure that the offender is
the person responding to the call and is in fact at the monitored location as required.
One system uses voice verification technology. Another system requires a "wristlet,"
a black plastic module which is strapped to the offenders arm. When the computer
calls, the wristlet is inserted into a verifier box connected to the telephone to verify
that the telephone is answered by the monitored offender. A third system uses
visual verification to assure that the telephone is being answered by the monitored
offender. Programmed Contact Devices tend to be less expensive and less efficient
compared to the Continuously Signaling Devices. By 1989, the growth rate for
Programmed Contact Devices had fallen behind that for Continuously Signaling
Devices (Renzema & Skelton, 1990).