Tampa Firm Taps Rising Demand for Parolee Tracking Bracelets
Overcrowded jails are causing courts to employ ankle brackets to keep track of criminals’ behavior. Numerous U.S. law enforcement groups have begin placing these bracelets on parolees, which can detect violations and notify police instantly.
The bracelets are mostly meant for individuals convicted of drunk driving or people who have vowed not to drink as part of their release deal.
The bracelets continuously measure the vapors coming off an individual’s skin for ethanol traces, which the body generates when digesting alcohol. Parole officers can establish a triggering range to discover whatever amount of alcohol consumption they select.
ActSoft, a Tampa, FL, manufacturer of ankle bracelets, has invented a bracelet that continuously transmits wire signals to a cell phone that a parolee must have with him or her around the clock. Though the phone cannot place calls, it does have a GPS chip, which transmits signals to a main monitoring system that discovers a violator’s location and alcohol use.
The ankle-bracelet sector is estimated to eventually be valued at $1.3 billion annually.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the Miami Herald (05/01/07); P. C4; Mullins, Richard.
