Geographic information systems and global positioning systems for offender tracking

¶ … offender tracking systems have been used for the past 60 years or so, including physical visitations by law enforcement authorities to offenders' residences to verify their presence as well as telephonic and television camera systems that can be used to verify offenders' presence in their homes without physical visitation being required. These traditional offender tracking methods, though, are labor intensive and require significant law enforcement resources to implement, maintain and administer. Recent innovations in technology have introduced a better approach that uses geographic information systems powered by global positioning systems together with computer-based applications that can automatically verify offenders' compliance with the terms of their release. This paper reviews the relevant literature to provide an overview of geographic information and global positioning systems, and how these technologies are being used to improve offender tracking in the United States. An analysis of current and future trends is followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.