Twenty-two published studies between 2013 and 2025 are summarized in the latest volume of The Journal of Offender Monitoring, which we will recap in this article.
Trends and Themes in Electronic Monitoring Research
Electronic Monitoring (EM) has become increasingly accepted and proven reliable, with growing evidence supporting its benefits as an effective tool in the criminal justice system.
Three broad categories of sources and studies were collected over the past decade including custody-substitution research, community-supervision and pretrial research, and technology and implementation research.
Researchers were interested in learning about the effects of EM on reoffending, mortality, and labor, how EM works as a condition of probation, parole, or pretrial release, and practical factors regarding EM in the field.
A portion of the article discusses themes that have unfolded across the literature. Overall, acceptance and adoption are heading in a positive direction, but we should prioritize the supportive use of EM rather than purely correctional.
- EM has shifted from a purely punitive and surveillance-based tool to a supportive supervision tool that provides safety and structure.
- U.S. studies warn of net widening and do not want to see EM being used in addition to custody.
- As smartphone-based monitoring becomes more prevalent, it is important that cybersecurity and human-centered design take accountability for the credibility of EM.
- U.S. literature regarding EM focuses on a more disciplinary implementation compared to Europe, but targeted and supportive EM is emerging as best practices.
- Most U.S. research has been observational, rather than experimental, but still points to positive benefits when used as an alternative to custody.
Research consistently shows that electronic monitoring is most effective when used as an alternative to incarceration, rather than simply an enhancement or addition to traditional supervision.
The Future of Electronic Monitoring
The evidence from the past decade depicts EM as a “conditionally effective, operationally sensitive, and ethically complex tool.” How electronic monitoring is used ultimately determines how effective and impactful it is. When implementing an EM program, structure, trust, and replacing confinement should be priorities. The rest of the article summarizes the problems each study tackled, findings, takeaways, and limitations of each of the 22 studies over the past ten years.