Courts mandate electronic monitoring for hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. who are not convicted of any crime. The “Cages Without Bars” report from the Shriver Center on Poverty Law illuminates pretrial monitoring programs that often harm and burden people who are accused but not convicted of crimes. In nine communities, grantee the Shriver Center interviewed the people subject to monitoring as well as judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and administrators to understand more about the use and consequences. Researchers found the programs are overused and ineffective and cause harm in the process. They make recommendations to reform and eliminate the electronic monitoring programs, including testing the programs, ensuring due process, and prioritizing data privacy and safety.
