A quick scan of recent headlines in the U.S. consumer newspapers reveals a heightened interest in using GPS technology to keep track of paroled sex offenders. Most recently, Florida Governor Jeb Bush signed the Jennifer Lunsford Act, named after a 9-year old Homosassa, Fla., girl who was abducted and murdered in March. A registered sex offender confessed to the crime. The bill calls for paroled sex offenders who were convicted of molesting children younger than 12 to wear a GPS tracking device for the rest of their life from the day they are paroled.

Similar initiatives are increasing across the United States. But from the use of GPS technology, other applications are now being implemented to show that tracking of convicts can go beyond just sex offenders.

Tom Wharton, CEO of iSECUREtrac Corp., a provider of GPS tracking services, told Satellite News that GPS tracking technology is being used for tracking other types of criminals as well.

“We have some customers that run deadbeat dad programs where somebody is not paying their child support,” Wharton said. Governments “don’t want to keep throwing these guys into prison because they know they can’t make any money and pay child support while they are in prison and it turns out to be an expense for the state. So why not try put them on GPS? The technology makes it easier for a court officer to determine whether a deadbeat dad is going to work or not. If they are going to work, they know they can get some money out of them to pay their child support.”

Other applications of GPS tracking also are starting to emerge in the context of paroled criminals. For example, Wharton said GPS technology can be used to track paroled felons to make sure they receive any court-ordered treatment like psychiatric therapy or addiction counseling. The GPS people-tracking industry “is really growing dramatically because of the sex offender situation,” Wharton added. “But you also see a major growing immigration situation, homeland security situation and general prison overcrowding issues. You see massive growth taking place in the area of community supervision, [fueled by] the general population’s belief and the results that prove putting everybody in prison isn’t really working.”

He continued, “There is no doubt GPS is taking off, not only because of this whole sex offender thing, but everybody is realizing that if you can keep somebody more compliant when they are in the community,” they help to make the communities safer.

—Gregory Twachtman

(Tom Wharton, iSECUREtrac, 402/537-0022)