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HOUSE ARREST

The residential home confinement and Breath Alcohol Monitoring programs, which are commonly known as House Arrest and BAM, allow low-risk offenders to serve their time in their residences rather than in secure custody. The participants of the program live at home, maintain employment and serve on community work programs. Inmates in this program pay all costs associated with the electronic monitoring. The House Arrest sentencing option frees up jail bed space for more serious offenders as well as saves the costs of incarceration.

Electronic monitoring devices used by the program vary upon the individual situation. Today’s electronic supervision devices may include the traditional ankle bracelet, global positioning system or a combination of bracelet and video blood alcohol unit. For cases in which alcohol is an issue, breath samples may be required several times daily. As a condition of the program, random drug testing may take place.

The ankle transmitter “talks” to a receiving unit that is connected to a telephone line at the inmate’s residence. If the inmate attempts to disconnect the unit, an alarm is broadcast to a monitoring station. If the inmate does not make scheduled calls to the monitoring agency, the alarm is also set off. If the inmate is on the Breath Alcohol Monitor, scheduled and random calls are made directing the inmate to blow into a breath alcohol device and look into a camera simultaneously. A blood alcohol reading is then registered at the monitoring company. Sheriff’s Office personnel are notified of tests that show a positive reading.

Global Positioning System or GPS equipment allows monitoring of frequently visited locations of an offender. The Sheriff’s Office is notified of all alarms and “walkaways” within moments. Deputies assigned to monitor inmates participating in this program are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond.

In 2006, there was 1, 568 participants placed on house arrest. This resulted in a savings of 24,281 jail days which equates to an annual cost savings of $2,027,706.

The House Arrest, Sheriff's Community Work Program, Inmate Work Program, Consolidated Graffiti Unit and Inmate Counseling programs function under the Alternatives to Incarceration Unit to provide consistency and provide for a consolidated unit with versatile staff able to deal with all situations that arise.

House Arrest Information Sheet
House Arrest Application (PDF - 43kb)

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Click here for directions and maps or call (775) 328-3001

 

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