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Sunday, October 07, 2007
Ind. Courts - "GPS keeps felons honest ... or else"
A story by Kate Braser of the Evansville Courier and Press today begins:
When convicted felon Richard W. Robb Jr. was violating the terms of his probation by making trips to Wal-Mart, a friend's home and even a liquor store, his every move was being tracked in 20-second intervals.Those violations — recorded meticulously on the GPS device he wore around his ankle and saved in a computer system — were later reviewed by Vanderburgh Circuit Court Magistrate David Kiely.
The judge ultimately decided to send Robb, 25, to the Department of Correction for the duration of his sentence on a conviction for operating a vehicle after being declared a habitual traffic offender.
Local business ABK Tracking began offering GPS services this year, and law enforcement officials are embracing the opportunity to ease jail overcrowding and offer nonviolent criminals a way to be productive members of the community.
"Overall, I think the defense attorneys and the prosecutors both agree this is a good alternative in the appropriate case," Kiely said.
Kiely estimates he has ordered GPS tracking for at least 20 cases so far.
"It's a good alternative to pretrial incarceration," he said. "We can keep track of them but don't have to house them in the jail, and they are paying the expense for it instead of the taxpayers."
Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 7, 2007 06:51 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts