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Abstract: 

In 2007, the Development Services Group began a multi-year evaluation of the use of GPS monitoring for high-risk sex offenders (HRSOs) by the California DOC. In this critical commentary, Marc Renzema assesses the report’s design and methodology, essential findings, and its conclusions. Among the most significant results: sex offenders released under traditional supervision were three times more likely to commit a sex-related violation than those released under GPS monitoring; GPS adds about 30% to the cost of monitoring sex offenders; and while there is overwhelming support for GPS among parole agents, agent accounts and computer logs show that GPS creates more work for agents, not less. In summary, Renzema calls this study “one of the best pieces of research I have seen in 25 years of reading EM evaluations.”

Keywords: High-risk sex offenders; California Department of Corrections; GPS Monitoring;

Affiliations:  1: Kutztown University (Emeritus).