Costa Rica News – If this is put into place it would kill two birds with one stone, It would both reduce costs and reduce prison overcrowding in Costa Rica.
Electronic monitoring bracelets for those on house arrest could fix problems of overcrowding in prisons and save the Ministry of Justice 6 million colones a year per inmate out of prison.
One day in prison costs the state $48 per inmate, but the daily cost for the bracelet is between $11 and $25.
Keeping a person incarcerated a whole year costs ¢9.5 million, almost three times the cost of the bracelet.
Only certain inmates could be eligible for house arrest, depending on the length of their sentence and the type of crime they are serving time for.
Those who are in advanced stages of pregnancy or are heads of households with children under 12 years old, as well as the disabled and those requiring medical treatments not offered in prison, could benefit from this option.
The bracelets can protect victims by alerting the police if the inmate goes near the victim. In cases of organized crime or sexual offenses against children house arrest would not be granted.
The question remains what will happen when these prisoners leave the system?
