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The Berke Bill passed the Senate on the 7^th of April unanimously, requiring GPS tracking devices for domestic violence offenders, and is on its way to the House Judiciary Committee for approval.

Unlike the usual GPS devices used to for house arrest, this type of tracking will work a bit differently.

Senator Andy Berke (Chattanooga, TN) sponsored the bill, stating “…for years, victims of domestic violence have had to live in fear that their attackers were following their every move.  With this bill, the attackers will have to live with the knowledge that their victims are tracking them.”

If this bill clears the House, judges in TN will require those offenders released on bail in a domestic violence-related case to wear a GPS tracking device. This tracker will allow a victim access to information on the whereabouts of the offender at all times.

As there is normally a restraining order in these cases, which mandates how far the accused should be from the victim at all times, this device will alert the victim when the order is being violated, possibly saving his/her life.  According to Berke, “in cases of extreme stalking and domestic violence, we need to make sure that victims are afforded every possible measure of security.”

However, this tracking proposal may work the other way around.  For example, some of these victims have been beaten severely, and the victim (or those close to a victim) may seek revenge. The new GPS tracking bill allows victims to find out, at any given time, where to locate their attacker.  This would make it quite easy to exact revenge, and this is one of the reasons why some oppose The Berke Bill.

Is allowing a victim to view the whereabouts of an attacker going too far? GPS tracking devices can provide a large amount of safety for victims who are afraid to leave their homes, but being under constant watch may not be a good idea.

Article Written by Khristen Foss