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In Staten Island, New York, authorities are seeking to implement the same technology used to keep track of parolees to warn victims of domestic violence. Those charged with domestic violence and/or ordered by a judge to stay away from a particular individual will be outfitted with a GPS tracking device on their ankle. Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of behavior wherein one person uses abuse and violence to gain control over another person. Staten Island hopes to break this pattern by creating more accountability for the offender and more warning for the victim.
Startling Statistics
In the United States alone, a woman is assaulted or beaten every 9 seconds; some countries show abuse rates as high as 70%. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women in America, more than rapes, muggings, and car accidents combined. More than three women are murdered by their partners every day, and it costs the United States billions of dollars every year to manage the health costs involved in treating these victims as well as the lost productivity of these victims in the workplace. Multiply these figures by all the countries of the world, and you have an epidemic of destroyed lives.
Hopeful Results
Law enforcement and victim’s rights advocates have high hopes for this new system. Just like parolees, those charged with domestic violence will have boundaries that they cannot enter. The ankle bracelets they wear can be programmed to monitor the victim’s home, workplace, children’s school, and every other place the victim frequents. If the offender enters one of these off-limit zones, both the victim and the authorities are immediately notified through a special alert system. Coordinates are then given to pinpoint the offender’s whereabouts. Through this monitoring system, authorities hope to give victims the opportunity to live their lives without fear, without always having to look over their shoulder.
The Cost
The cost in lives lost or injured is incalculable, but the cost of keeping track of the offenders is miniscule. For $10 a day, a GPS tracking ankle bracelet can be monitored; and right now, the system is set up so that the wearer pays the cost. If he cannot afford the device, then the cost is covered by witness protection funds; the burden does not fall on the victim or the taxpayers. With 92% of women fearing abuse and 1 in 4 actually experiencing it, this advanced warning system will go a long way in giving victims back control over their lives.