Studies Find Multiple Uses for GPS Technology in Monitoring Offenders and Preventing Crime

The National Institute of Justice funded two studies about how parole officers in California used GPS technology to monitor high-risk gang and high-risk sex offenders. The research showed how GPS supervision might affect parole compliance and recidivism. In comparing these two studies, researchers discovered promising evidence that GPS technology offers increased public safety by potentially removing dangerous criminals from the streets before they commit more violent crimes. Moreover, the findings suggest GPS monitoring technology can serve multiple crime prevention purposes despite behavior differences within disparate offender populations.

A summary of these findings is in the NIJ Journal, issue 275 at http://nij.gov/journals/275/pages/gps-supervision.aspx