According to a recent Missouri Independent article, traditional ankle monitors are on the rise in St. Louis’ circuit courts. The number of people placed on this type of monitoring doubled when comparing the first half of 2021 to the first half of 2024. This isn’t just in St. Louis – it’s part of a national trend seen in other major metropolitan areas like Baltimore, Dallas and Los Angeles. While GPS plays an important role in supervision, it’s just one part of a broader system.
In addition to GPS monitoring, participants need opportunities to communicate, build accountability and enroll in educational activities. This combination of programming helps administrators and participants reach shared goals. The skills developed through supervision can support long-term success.
Corrisoft recognizes the importance of GPS monitoring, but effective supervision works best with a comprehensive approach. Let’s explore how GPS, communication, accountability and education work together and how Corrisoft’s supervision-focused smartphones and app-based tools make it possible.
GPS monitoring
Location monitoring plays an important role in supervision. It ensures a participant’s whereabouts and helps prevent them from entering restricted zones. This support is critical for participants working to change harmful routines. It empowers them to decline invitations or situations that could trigger previous behaviors. It’s important to acknowledge location data is an effective supervision tool as it allows administrators to respond quickly when corrective action is needed.
Communication
Life doesn’t always follow supervision program guidelines, which makes communication a key aspect of the process. Children get sick, work schedules change and emergencies happen, which could take participants outside of approved location zones or away from scheduled events. These urgent situations can result in violations that may eventually lead to closer supervision. Corrisoft’s AIR® products provide a direct line to administrators, allowing participants to explain their situation and request last-minute travel approvals, potentially avoiding noncompliance issues.
Accountability
Accountability is like a muscle – the more people practice it, the stronger it becomes. Participants can build accountability in several ways during supervision, such as check-ins with administrators or maintaining a calendar. These actions become even more effective when combined with other aspects like communication and GPS monitoring. Together, these tools confirm participants are where they (and their calendar) say they are.
Education
Research shows that access to education positively impacts reentry. It helps participants gain and improve interpersonal skills. Whether it’s a behavior course like anger management, substance abuse education, or conflict and communication training, these educational opportunities support both programmatic and long-term life goals. Participants can carry these skills well beyond their time in supervision. All Corrisoft smartphone- based products come equipped with access to MaxxContent’s education resources.
While traditional ankle monitors remain necessary in certain scenarios, successful supervision requires more than just GPS. That’s why Corrisoft developed the industry’s first smartphone specifically for supervision – one that supports multiple aspects of the process. Whether your agency and participants use our smartphone or one of our apps, you gain reliable tools to engage in communication, accountability and education with effective GPS monitoring.