If you’ve been convicted of a crime, you may be required to serve some time in jail. However, jail is expensive on the taxpayers, and it’s not always the best option for the offender, especially if the offense wasn’t all that serious. In these cases, the judge may decide to place you under house arrest or have you submit to home monitoring. Today, we take a closer look at why home monitoring is preferred to a jail sentence, and what you can expect if you are placed under house arrest.
The Benefits Of Home Monitoring
People have been placed under house arrest for hundreds of years, but it was oftentimes hard to police before electronic monitoring. An electronic home monitoring device was first developed in 1983, and the technology has been improved upon and put into use ever since. These devices continue to get smaller and less noticeable for the wearer, and they have begun to take on new capabilities, like monitoring the skin for the presence of alcohol or drugs.
An electronic monitoring device may seem like a burden, but it’s actually a pretty good alternative sentencing option. Aside from keeping you out of jail, a home monitoring system allows you to lead a somewhat normal life. You are allowed to leave your house for approved functions like work, school, church, medical appointments, substance abuse counseling and to buy groceries, which allows you to maintain your source of income and a semblance of normal life. Also, you’re a much smaller burden on the American taxpayer. Records suggest it costs about $26,000 to keep a person in jail for a year, but it only costs about $6,000 to have them under house arrest for the same period of time.
Now, home monitoring is not all sunshine and rainbows. For example:
- You have to pay a fee for the home monitoring service. This fee can be adjusted for your income and ability to pay.
- Sentences are rarely reduced. Since home monitoring is considered a preferred option to jail, odds are that you won’t see your monitoring sentence shortened for good behavior.
- You have social restrictions. You are allowed to leave the house for some activities, but you won’t be able to go out with friends, meet your family for a Sunday barbecue, or take off on a weekend road trip while on house arrest.
Finally, don’t opt for the home monitoring option because you believe you’ll be able to beat the system. Many of these devices have GPS tracking, which means law enforcement can easily see that you were down the street at a bar when you said you were going to church or to get groceries. A violation of your house arrest order will likely result in the revocation of your house arrest privileges and trigger an automatic jail sentence.
Do I Qualify For House Arrest?
There are no set guidelines for qualifying for house arrest instead of a jail sentence, but oftentimes a judge will consider it as a sentencing guideline if:
- You have stable work.
- This was a first offense.
- This was not a violent crime.
- Jail seems like too harsh of a punishment, or the court believes you’d be better rehabilitated through a home monitoring and substance abuse program.
If you are interested in seeing if home monitoring is an option for your case, the best thing you can do is to bring this up to your criminal defense attorney. A lot of times lawyers can work with the prosecution or a judge to help get you a sentence that is appropriate for the crime, but also takes your needs into consideration. Avery has helped many clients avoid jail and transition into a house arrest program, and he can do the same for you. Contact his office today for a free case review.
