The Department will provide regional Community Detention and Electronic Monitoring (CD/EM) services. The CD/EM Command Center will be centrally located in Baltimore City. Each Region will ensure that youth on CD/EM are appropriately supervised. Having CD/EM staff report to Regional Directors will increase communication and ensure that issues within the program, such as violations of CD/EM provisions, are swiftly reported and youth are held accountable. Staff can better communicate issues such as violations and equipment needs in order to swiftly implement a corrective action plan. The close proximity of youth to their homes enhances the ability of CD/EM to include parents/families in their service delivery. Based on the homogeneity of the regions, staff can address the similar needs of their clients in a more thorough manner.
Community Detention will remain a seven-day a week program with Community Detention monitors responsible for face-to-face and telephone contact. The frequency of the contact depends on the assessed supervision needs of each youth. Random unannounced visits will be made at home, school, work, and appointments regardless of a youth’s supervision phase. The team of Community Detention monitors is carefully trained to detect violations of the court ordered release conditions or potential threats to public safety. Monitors report any changes in a youth’s home or school situation. If a youth engages in any activity that places the public at risk, he/she may be withdrawn from the program and held in secure detention. The Community Detention Program has created an avenue in which youth can continue with school or work and maintain their community ties, support systems, or alternative care. In addition, youth are closely supervised, held accountable and are returning to court as required.
Electronic Monitoring will continue to ensure an additional level of supervision of youth on CD who need enhanced supervision and structure. Without EM, these youth would remain in secure detention. The youth’s compliance is monitored electronically through an ankle bracelet that is placed on the youth by a court employee. A transmitting unit is attached to the family phone. A daily report for each youth is generated by the central computer and transmitted to the Electronic Monitor Coordinator. This information is examined and any violations of the authorized schedule are transmitted for further consideration and action as necessary.
The CD/EM Command Center will include the monitoring of all youth on Global Positioning System (GPS), a state-of-the-art real time tracking technology. Because the Command Center will need to be staffed on a 24/7 basis, a centrally operated CD/EM system remains more cost efficient than a regionally based system. The computer server and equipment will be housed centrally as well. As regional needs for CD/EM change, the Command Center will take the lead on ensuring that the numbers of EM/GPS units are then distributed accordingly.
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