Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Electronic Monitoring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sherburne County Community Corrections details monitoring equipment and client fees
Summary
Community Corrections presented its inventory of alcohol monitors, GPS ankle devices and house-arrest units and reviewed daily monitoring fees plus income-based and REAM grant reductions and pretrial payment requirements.
Bobbie Shafer, who presented a PowerPoint on electronic monitoring, summarized the county’s inventory of devices and the costs they impose on clients. The presentation covered alcohol-monitoring units (SCRAM RB PRO and SOBERLINK SL3), BLUTAG GPS ankle monitors and the BASE UNIT 3000 house-arrest system, noting key technical features such as automated facial intelligence for some alcohol devices, 24/7 GPS tracking and tamper-resistant ankle bracelets.
The board was told standard monitoring costs are $20 per day for adults and $10 per day for juveniles. Pretrial defendants are required to pay for 30 days of service ($600) plus any outstanding monitoring fees before being hooked up; post-sentence clients must pay for all ordered service dates and unpaid past fees before hook-up. Bobbie Shafer described two fee-reduction paths: an income-application process based on poverty guidelines and the REAM grant. The REAM grant was described as providing $5 per day for impaired-driving offenses when alcohol testing is required, with limits (not to exceed 180 days in some circumstances, and an eligibility loss after a second violation filed with the court).
House-arrest rules presented include an approved, verified schedule required before leave is allowed; leave is limited to work, school, medical appointments and court/county-ordered business. Employment-related off-time is capped at 12 hours per day or 60 hours per week (including drive time). Clients may receive up to three hours per week of Take Care of Business time to address personal needs, taken as a single block once every seven days.
Costs and rules, as presented, will affect defendants both pretrial and post-sentence and include eligibility conditions for publicly funded reductions. The presentation emphasized that device capabilities (GPS triangulation, connectivity via Verizon/AT&T, facial ID for some units) determine monitoring options and associated client experiences. The Advisory Board did not take formal action on fee changes during the meeting.
