With more than 420,000 gang members estimated in California, corrections officials are teaming up with a GPS monitoring company to launch a pilot study for tracking those considered most dangerous after they are released from prison.
The California Department of Justice estimates that approximately 25,000 parolees have special conditions of court-ordered parole after serving a determinate sentence, because of gang activities. Some 6,500 to 7,500 of the parolees may be classified as high-risk gang offenders, the state estimates.
The department alleges that many of these high-risk gang members are responsible for crimes including murder, witness intimidation, money laundering, extortion, narcotic production and sales, prostitution, human trafficking, assassinations for hire, theft and counterfeiting.
Despite the increasing popularity of electronic monitoring systems, the study proposal says little is known about their effectiveness in reducing the recidivism of gang members or their use as an investigative and prosecutorial tool.
The new study will determine the effectiveness of the monitoring program for high-risk gang offenders over a four-year period.
The mandatory monitoring program includes intensive supervision and a monitoring device. The device will track the precise location of parolees and link the data to the location and time of reported crime incidents, as well as verify that the individuals are where they are supposed to be.
Notifications of any intersection of a parolee with a crime incident, zone violation, or tampering with the device are electronically sent to the appropriate police or corrections agency.