Crime

Electronic Tags For Released Prisoners - The U.K. plans to use satellite tracking tags to monitor prisoners on release for work. The rudimentary features of these tags allow parole officers to determine if their parolees are obeying curfews and not straying into suspicious locations. More advanced tags can be used to determine the presence of alcohol or drugs in their system. The purpose is to gather bio-data that may indicate the violation of probation rules. This has brought criticism for infringement on prisoners' rights [1] [3].

HOPE Program - The HOPE drug rehabilitation program originating in Hawaii. This program randomly requests released prisoners to check in with their probation officers. If they don't show up, they are sent back to jail temporarily. This system reduced the rate of drug users reoffending by 93% compared to a group without electronic tags. This system is currently being looked into for implementation in the U.K. by the Ministry of Justice [1].

Use in Criminal Investigations - Data collected from wearable devices can be used as evidence in criminal investigations. Cardiac information from a man's pacemaker was used to determine that he committed arson for insurance fraud. Movement and location data extracted from a Fitbit helped determine that a woman filed a false rape allegation. In personal injury cases, wearable data is considered relevant information. The accuracy of these devices carry significant weight when considering their use as evidence. The Fitbit and Apple Smartwatch are known to give inaccurate readings under certain conditions [2].

Outlook - The use of wearable technology to monitor prisoners on release is effective and warranted. This technology should increase the average hours of release received by prisoners, increase the likelihood of parole and reduce the chance of bail skipping in pre-trial. This is due to the fact that electronic tagging makes prisoners easier to monitor and makes their partial freedom less of a liability [3]. 125,000 were monitored with electronic wearables in 2015, compared to 53,000 in 2005 [5]. All of these advantages will help reduce the United States prison population, which is known for being the largest (per-capita) in the world [4]. Data collected from wearable devices provides a useful side channel in criminal investigations, whether in support of the user's injury claims, or to incriminate themselves [2]. The UK is already attempting to adopt this technology for their prison systems [2]. From this, it is likely that the use of wearable technology as a rehabilitative tool will rise in the next ten years.

https://archive.shine.cn/metro/society/Electronic-tags-for-paroled-prisoners/shdaily.shtml

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/correctionalcontrol2018.html

References

1. Watkin, William David. “Tracking Criminals' Biodata Is Another Step towards Constant Surveillance for Us All.” theconversation.com/tracking-criminals-biodata-is-another-step-towards-constant-surveillance-for-us-all-60670. (September 27th, 2019)

2. Sadler, John M. “Fighting Crime with Wearable Technology (Interesting Facts I Bet You Never Knew).” medium.com/@SportsRiskAdvisor/fighting-crime-with-wearable-technology-interesting-facts-i-bet-you-never-knew-de81837c4d44 (September 20th, 2019)

3. Black, Matt, and Russell G Smith. “Electronic Monitoring in the Criminal Justice System.” aic.gov.au/publications/tandi/tandi254 (September 29th, 2019)

4. “In Depth.” news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/uk/06/prisons/html/nn2page1.stm (September 29th, 2019)

5. Kofman, Ava. “Digital Jail: How Electronic Monitoring Drives Defendants Into Debt.” www.propublica.org/article/digital-jail-how-electronic-monitoring-drives-defendants-into-debt (September 29th 2019).