The "Western " County Probation Department (PA) implemented a house arrest with electronic monitoring (EM) program in the Fall of 1992. This article provides an evaluation of the first 57 offenders who participated in this program. Offenders included in this study were all convicted of the crime of Driving Under the Influence (DUI). The Commonwealth's mandatory DUI Act provided an opportunity to study two very similar groups. The main difference between the two was that one group went to jail while the other served their sentence under house arrest with EM. Descriptive and inferential statistics revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to rearrest, revocations, and detainers filed (technical violations). Also, the overwhelming majority of EM offenders were able to successfully complete their EM period of supervision without incident, addressing the negative claims that such programs unduly jeopardise the safety of the community. Findings indicate that house arrest with EM can be an effective alternative to jail for many DUI offenders. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting