Don’t want to serve jail time? Choose an ankle monitor! But what many describe as a reasonable alternative to jail comes with its issues.
Ankle monitor technology is flawed. It doesn’t always work as it should, and the impact it’s having on those wearing it can be extremely negative.
Similar to cell phones, these electronic trackers use a signal to function. That means simply losing service could have DEVASTATING consequences - and even land someone in worse trouble.
Also like phones, ankle monitors need their batteries charged - no matter where you are. It’s your responsibility.
Financially, it’s a sacrifice, too. These monitors come at a price that you have to pay.
Essentially, you’re paying for a digital prison that doesn’t even work correctly all of the time. That sounds like a huge risk when a lost signal can land you in jail!
And, according to reports, many people are already suffering that fate.
While reporting on ankle monitor inaccuracies, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism documented “false alerts that have landed offenders in jail, disrupting family lives and causing them to lose jobs.”
We need to think of ways to shift from locking people in cages any time someone makes a mistake.
Black America has been terrorized by mass incarceration. Ankle monitors are an option, but, clearly, they’re not as effective as some people might consider them to be.