House arrest is when someone is authorized by the authority to stay confined to their resident for a period of time. This could be before a trial date or even after serving a prison sentence. Typically leaving is not an option, however, when it is for work this could be arranged.
Why would you get house arrest?
This depends on the individual and the crime that was committed. The judge will look at a few things before determining if someone would qualify for house arrest over jail time. The below are a few reasons someone would get house arrest:
- Risk of flight (Does the person have a high chance of leaving the state or area?)
- Does the person have steady employment?
- Does he or she have family support in the area?
- Criminal past
- Zero gang affiliation
While it is not common for someone to stay within a house 24 hours a day some on house arrest can even have a curfew that they must be home by. Someone with good behavior that has been released from a prison sentence could also get house arrest for a period of time.
Different types of house arrest
There are different types of house arrest with different sets of rules that one must follow. For example. Someone could be on house arrest but leave during the day for work or school but must be home at a certain time, typically before dark.
Others may have to wear electronic monitors that will ping a signal to someone watching their whereabouts on a computer screen. Regardless it is a lot cheaper to have someone on house arrest then it is to house them in prison. The average prison inmate cost more than 25,000 a year as a house arrest person would cost about 6,000. This is a huge difference in price.
What is an ankle monitor and how does it work?
An ankle monitor is a piece of electronic device that fits around an ankle They are made to be tamper-resistant and are meant to be worn by the person all the time. The monitor uses a radio frequency signal that is used to communicate back to the monitoring station. Some features may include:
- GPS monitoring functions
- Alerts the monitoring station if you leave a designated area
Are ankle monitors waterproof?
For the most part, ankle monitors are waterproof. With that said they are like computers in the sense that they can malfunction at any time and getting them wet could allow this to happen. We suggest reaching out to your probation officer if this happens. you do not want to take the chance of being in noncompliance.
My ankle monitor is vibrating what does that mean?
Because there are different monitors they function in different ways. Some monitors will vibrate this could be your probation officer attempting to reach you. If so, your supervisor probably gave you instruction on what to do if this happens. If not, contact your supervisor and aks what you should do. Remember never remove or mess with your ankle monitor. It can be a third-degree felony that carries up to 5 years in prison depending on what state you are in. It also has heavy fines or both that you would have to deal with.
What happens if you leave during house arrest?
Again, because there are different provisions of house arrest you could be allowed to leave under your specific terms. however, If you are not allowed to leave and you do you could be subjected to being locked up in jail.
An ankle monitor helps in tracking your location and in most cases, you will have a certain number of feet that you can be away from your house before it sends out a signal to cops that you are not where you are supposed to be.
Can you go to work on house arrest?
Yes, if the judge allows you to you can. This will depend on your situation and case. The offender that has house arrest and work will be closely monitored during the process. There are processes that would need to be followed:
Submit a work schedule to the officer overseeing your case. Or to the courts. Everything from how long it takes to get to work, how many hours per day you will be working at said job, and how long and when you need to be back home. Again, these terms could be different or limited depending on your case and offense.
You have to always where your electronic monitoring device. This is used to make sure you do not stray from the route you have told the court system or your parole officer or supervisor. If you do stray from the route giving a signal will be put out and you will probably be arrested.
Can you leave the state or travel when confined to your home?
Generally speaking, no you cannot. House arrest is similar to being in prison. You cant travel with locked up. Now, working when on house arrest is allowed in a lot of cases, but traveling typically is not. if it is an emergency you could always ask the courts or your parole supervisor if there are exceptions.
