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Mismatches and criminal justice policy: The case of GPS for domestic violence

NCJ Number
308025
Journal
Criminology & Criminal Justice Volume: Online Dated: 2023
Date Published
2023
Length
20 pages
Annotation

This article discusses the authors’ examination of how counter-productive dynamics or outcomes may emerge during electronic monitoring programs, or later, for domestic violence/intimate partner violence-related charges.

Abstract

Mismatches are incongruencies between programmatic policies and working practices that engender counter-productive dynamics or outcomes relative to aspirations. This article addresses electronic monitoring programs for domestic violence/intimate partner violence, examining how mismatches may emerge either during their implementation or later. Electronic monitoring programs aim to surveil and deter defendants facing domestic violence/intimate partner violence-related charges during court-supervised release, with the aim of enhancing victim safety. Analysis of qualitative and survey data from a national (U.S.) study suggests that domestic violence/intimate partner violence-focused strategies reliant on surveillance technology may be prone to generating mismatches rooted in discrepancies between victims’ expectations, defendant risk profiles, and program operations. The article also provides policy implications of mismatches in victim-focused initiatives. Publisher Abstract Provided

Date Published: January 1, 2023