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Strafford County expands GPS monitoring and a victim-notification app as domestic-violence caseloads rise
Summary
Community corrections officials reported an increase in electronic-monitoring participants (about 60 to 85) and described a vendor—s victim-notification app that sends real-time alerts when a monitored person enters an exclusion zone; staff tied rising equipment costs to an increased number of domestic-violence-related charges.
Dover, N.H. — Community corrections leaders told the Strafford County criminal-justice subcommittee on Jan. 28 that their electronic-monitoring caseload has grown and that they plan to deploy a vendor—s victim-notification app to alert victims in real time if a monitored person enters a court-ordered exclusion zone.
Will Britain, director of community supervision, said the program—s monitored population rose from about 60 people last January to roughly 85 now, increasing monthly equipment costs paid to the monitoring vendor. "Instead of 60 people we had last January, we actually have 85," Britain said. Staff said the higher caseload results partly from recent bail-reform and court-ordering practices that have produced more monitored defendants.
To improve safety in domestic-violence cases, staff described a vendor app that notifies victims immediately when a GPS-monitored person enters an exclusion area around a home or workplace. The office demonstrated that the app can send alerts to a victim—s cellphone in real time and that the corrections office would simultaneously notify local police when an exclusion-zone breach occurs.
Officials tied the request for higher outside-services and equipment spending to the rise in domestic-violence-related charges: staff said domestic-violence charges made up about 30% of relevant charges after a statutory change and were 43% of charges in January alone, increasing court orders for monitoring equipment.
Community corrections also highlighted the employability program that helps supervised individuals find work and administers wage garnishments; staff said program collections are approaching nearly $1 million, funds that are passed through to the intended recipients.
What happens next: the subcommittee approved the overall budget recommendations; community corrections staff said they will proceed with procurement of additional monitoring services and coordinate outreach to courts and local police as needed.
