Hernando County law enforcement officials are ankle-deep in a good idea that could save taxpayers money. They should work with the County Commission and judiciary to wade farther into the proposal as soon as possible.
Under a plan being discussed by a panel of representatives from those offices, a new high-tech monitoring system would track nonviolent inmates at the county jail by affixing them with ankle bracelets. The idea is that judges would have the option of sentencing the offenders, who have local ties, to wear the bracelets so they can stay home and go to work, rather than take up valuable - and expensive - space at the county lockup.
The inmates can go about their daily business while still being monitored by satellite, and law enforcement officials can restrict their movement even more by programing locations that are off-limits, such as bars.
Some tracking systems have the added advantage of being able to map an offender's movements for comparison to reports of crimes. If a crime is committed in a certain neighborhood at a certain time, and a bracelet-wearing offender just happened to be nearby, then the investigating agency has someone to chat with immediately.
If an inmate somehow breaks or intentionally removes the device, officials will know right away. But the real deterrent is that it is not in the offenders' interest to mess with the devices because it could land them quickly back behind bars.
On the surface, it may seem that granting limited freedom to inmates is a bad idea. But treating eligible offenders decently, and saving taxpayers' money in the process, are notions with merit.
Public safety must be the paramount concern and any plan to monitor a wearer's movements would have to be focused on that necessity.
But the motivation now is a fiscal one. At a time when the state is angling to shift more costs onto local governments and agencies, ankle bracelets have the potential to save taxpayers a substantial amount of money.
The county now pays $48 a day to keep an inmate locked up. A bracelet program could knock that cost to between $7 and $12 per day per offender. Typically, the price goes down when more offenders wear the bracelet.
Plus, it frees up space in the jail and might even delay the need to periodically spend millions of dollars to expand the jail.
The county should contact vendors who use the satellite tracking system and gauge their willingness to participate in a pilot program with a small number of inmates. If satisfied with the results, as neighboring Pasco and Citrus counties have been, the County Commission should consider setting aside money in its budget.
If the offenders take advantage of this opportunity to get out of jail and lead somewhat normal lives, even as they are attached by electronic tethers to the corrections system, it should be a windfall for them and for taxpayers.
