GPS Probation Reaches It's Limits

GPS is an acronym that stands for Global Positioning System. The Global Positioning System device, a decently new technology, allows police and other authorities to track sex offenders, defendants, criminals, and more to see where they are located. Sex offenders that aren't allowed to be near children, for example, will be watched by authorities on their GPS to ensure they do not go near any schools, parks, or any other place children may heavily populate an area.

However, this technology has reached its limits in Suffolk County of Long Island, New York since they do not have enough officers to keep a watch on the GPS systems. As of right now, there are 10 probation officers that work in shifts of three to track the whereabouts of 50 criminals, offenders, and defendants around the clock to make sure they do not go anywhere where they are not supposed to be located. This ensures safety of not only children, but of families where a criminal may want to impose harm onto as well. The GPS may be used on defendants awaiting trial so they cannot successfully run from the police, and to ensure that they are present for their trial.

Lawmakers are currently making technologies such as Global Positioning Systems as an alternative to incarceration (being locked up). Jails and prisons are becoming heavily overcrowded, and it costs money to take care of prisoners (food, water, space, ect). With the GPS, and other technologies like the GPS, there will be less people in jails, cutting down on overcrowding, and it is an investment that will save money over time.

According to Newsday, it costs a jail about $225 per criminal or defendant to lock them up for a single day. It costs $47 to watch and monitor a criminal outside of a jail a day, $38 of that $47 going to manpower. (Newsday)

John Desmond, director of Suffolk's probation department had this to say about the financial status of the GPS method:

"The long-term major cost will, of course, be the personnel" (officers to monitor a criminal, offender, or defendant.[Desmond to Newsday]).

Also, according to John Desmond, there will be enough funds for the GPS system to run throughout the rest of the 2007 year. Steve Levy, the Suffolk County Executive, wants to expand the GPS program. In doing this, they would need to hire more officers to monitor the systems. Over time, this may actually save money though, since the GPS program costs drastically less than incarcerating a criminal or defendant.

Desmond also had this enlightening fact to say to Newsday:

"It's been more successful than I anticipated." (John Desmond to Newsday).

Personal Note: With the success of new technologies in the criminal justice field, keeping an eye on criminals, offenders, and defendants will be much easier. Everyone awaiting trial is innocent till proven guilty, even if they have committed a different crime before, and have a high chance of running from authorities. The GPS system, and other technoligies like it, will simply enhance monitoring certain defendants as they are awating trial, ensuring that they will not run. If they do run, they will be found and charged more harshly than before. Offenders with a system allocated on them will be easy to track as well, keeping children in the surrounding area much safer. I am sure that they do not equip dangerous criminals with these GPS's, they incarcerate them instead so they do not have the chance to commit another violent or highly-heinous crime again.

Additions such as these into the criminal justice field only make life safer, and easier for everyone. I applaud all who help this program move forward, and I am hopefully anticipating the next big invention to push the criminal justice field to new technological heights.

Questions/comments? E-mail me at chem1calburn@yahoo.com or simply message me via Associated Content.