Interviewee : Officer Steven Merino Interviewer : Alysia Fogleman November 11th, 2011

1. Electronic Monitoring andHouse Arrest: An Adult Probation Officer’s take on two community probation programs Interviewee: Officer Steven Merino Interviewer: Alysia Fogleman November 11th, 2011 Public Policy 241- PowerPoint Presentation Alysia Fogleman

2. Alysia Fogleman Dauphin County Adult Probation Website

3. Alysia Fogleman House Arrest and EM in Hollywood

4. Alysia Fogleman The Interview… • Throughout the rest of the slideshow, you will find a series of questions answered by Steven Merino, (conducted interview-style by Alysia Fogleman), about these two community probation programs.

5. Alysia Fogleman Question 1: When did Electronic Monitoring & House arrest begin? • EM started in the 1980’s • House arrest has been around longer- basically since there was an organized police force. • It has been used as an alternative sentencing option.

6. Alysia Fogleman Question 2: What are the goals of these programs? • To lessen prison/jail population • Allow the defendant the opportunity to still be a part of society by working, attending school and being with their family

7. Alysia Fogleman Question 3: Who are the programs for? • Non-violent offenders • Those not charged with a major crime • Those who are not a risk to public safety

8. Alysia Fogleman Question 4: How is the EM program supported (funded)? • The equipment is purchased/leased by an installing agency • Federal, state or Local Grants • Probation Department courts fees collected from fines and costs • Dauphin County charges $50.00 per month to be on the program • Start-up fee is around $350.00

9. Alysia Fogleman Question 5: How does EM work? The EM equipment that Dauphin County uses is a GPS- based system. • Anklet can have the ability to receive a call from the company that monitors the system if the person is in violation of the rules that were agreed upon. • Offender has to give his or her PO a schedule of when and where he will be throughout the week. If the unit is not is agreement with where he is or when he is there, the PO is notified either by phone or email. • The PO can they use the software to track where they were and at what time they were there.

10. Alysia Fogleman Question 6: Do these programs meet their goals? • They do meet their goals by keeping the non-violent offenders out of jail or prison, providing that the offender follows the rules. If there are violations along with other issues, the PO can detain the offender and take them back in front of the Judge who sentenced them. • Most of the time EM is used in tandem with other forms of alternative sentencing, such as DUI, Drug, or Mental Health Court. In each of these types the offender sees the Judge once a week and gets rewards or consequences based upon their behavior.

11. Alysia Fogleman Question 7:What challenges do these programs face in meeting their goals? • The willingness of the offender to follow the rules and if the offender has fear of going to jail. If there is no fear, the offender will do whatever they want until they are detained and placed in jail.

12. Alysia Fogleman Here is an example what kind of alerts a monitoring company might receive.