Advantages of Home Confinement and EM
Proponents of home confinement and EM point to the financial savings, decreased recidivism (discussed below in Outcome Evidence), and the ability to monitor and pinpoint offenders’ locations in real time as advantages of these alternatives to detention or confinement. Regarding financial savings, both home confinement and electronic monitoring can save taxpayers, detention facilities, and adjudicated juveniles money, given that both practices reduce the number of juveniles who are placed in detention facilities. In terms of actual cost savings, EM programs can range anywhere from $5.50 to $10.00 a day, whereas detention centers can range from $100.00 to $160.00 per day. Taxpayers also reap the benefits, as juveniles on home confinement with or without electronic monitoring can work and essentially pay for their monitoring device. Finally, home confinement with or without electronic monitoring can also save the juvenile money, as his or her bond may be reduced if the youth agrees to home confinement and/or electronic monitoring (Sklaver 2010).