HARRISBURG – PA House lawmakers approved a bipartisan measure directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a comprehensive statewide study on the use of electronic monitoring as an alternative to incarceration. House Resolution 547 lays the groundwork for data-driven, bipartisan leadership on criminal justice modernization. The findings are expected to highlight disparities, identify best practices, and provide a road map for scaling successful electronic monitoring programs statewide. The study will examine all major components including GPS monitoring, continuous alcohol monitoring and home-confinement technologies used across pre-trial release, probation, parole, and county-level systems in PA now. The committee will evaluate patterns, identify barriers to access, assess costs, analyze recidivism outcomes, and review contract and oversight structures involving criminal justice agencies, courts, victim advocates, private providers, and probation and parole officers.
