Sante Fe Hopes GPS Tracking Can Help Reduce Repetitive Incarceration
With overcrowded jails, soaring incarceration costs and high recidivism rates, city officials in Santa Fe launched a new system that tracks convicted burglars through GPS devices rather than putting them in jail. The city is hoping the GPS tracking devices will be able to deter burglars from striking again, something that can be quite challenging to do.
Santa Fe Police Capt. Aric Wheeler told ABC News the idea for the program originated as an alternative to repetitive incarceration, which is expensive. Wheeler said that it also did little to deter burglaries and police would see an immediate spike in burglaries as soon as criminals got out of jail.