Delivering Offender Monitoring, Ankle Bracelet technology to Law Enforcement and Corrections Agencies

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The cost of jailing an offender in a US Federal facility is approximately $84/day. With an incarceration rate of 693 per 100,000 of population, American law enforcement and corrections agencies see community supervision of paroled and non-violent offenders as a viable way of reducing costs and reducing pressure on prison capacity.

Yet monitoring these offenders is labor-intensive and logistically difficult.

Leveraging the IoT to Monitor Offenders, Increase Efficiency, and Reduce Recidivism

Remote monitoring automates the most time-consuming aspect of community supervision – locating offenders in real time. Persistent, reliable communication is essential, using tracking devices that have both cellular and GPS signals to provide overlapping coverage for optimal geolocation.

Remote monitoring software can be customized to each department’s needs using geofencing settings which keep offenders in or out of certain zones, and trigger alert messages with a call to action for supervisory personnel. Ankle bracelets with two-way communication let personnel contact individuals to remind them that they are approaching their boundaries or that their device needs recharging, and allow them to acknowledge the contact. This proactive contact can be an effective deterrent to recidivism. Agencies using remote offender monitoring solutions report recidivism rates of 3% - 5%, compared to the National Institute of Justice’s average of 80%.

Case Study

Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD uses electronic monitoring to reduce recidivism and solve more crimes

Benefits

Electronic monitoring offers benefits to parole, corrections, and law enforcement agencies in many situations including:

Curfew Programs

Electronic monitoring relieves the prison system of the costs of jailing non-violent offenders awaiting trial. With the assurance of 24/7 monitoring and geolocation, law enforcement agencies have a viable alternative to pretrial incarceration.

Pretrial Offender Monitoring

Electronic monitoring relieves the prison system of the costs of jailing non-violent offenders awaiting trial. With the assurance of 24/7 monitoring and geolocation, law enforcement agencies have a viable alternative to pretrial incarceration.

Crime Scene Correlation

The solution provides historical location data of each offender several times an hour. When integrated with a department’s records management system, police can compare offender data with crime reports to determine if any persons of interest were in the vicinity.

Reduce Overcrowded Jail Populations

As governments work to cope with the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, overcrowding in state and local jails is presenting a significant public safety challenge. The OM500 ankle bracelet enables authorities to reliably monitor low-risk inmates who are released temporarily in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus due to overcrowding.

Technology Overview

Sierra Wireless offers a complete, managed IoT solution for offender monitoring, with software and features designed specifically to address the needs of professionals in probation/parole, corrections and law enforcement charged with keeping track of offenders in their community.

Omnilink™ is a market-ready solution for offender monitoring designed for fast deployment, quick benefits, and fast ROI. Omnilink comes with all the components needed for an integrated, end-to-end solution: devices, software, connectivity, and managed services. With no upfront hardware costs and monthly terms geared to your preferred business model, Sierra Wireless’ Offender Monitoring solution lets you optimize your resources and achieve ROI quickly.

Omnilink components include:

OM500

Ankle-worn electronic monitoring devices with two-way wireless communication that connects to both cellular and GPS signals for overlapping coverage, reducing false alerts when the individual is indoor, underground, or in areas with poor coverage.

FocalPoint

Web-based application software that receives data from the device and presents the data in reports and maps that allow agencies to find the information they need to know quickly to track individuals 24/7.

Cloud and Connectivity Services

Our cloud services provide the simplest and most scalable way to stay connected and reduce risk. Benefit from fast deployment, reliability, and convenient over-the-air upgrades to devices.

Related Resources

Webinar

How Electronic Monitoring Improves Policing and Enhances Public Safety

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