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| | Wednesday, November 22, 2017
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Update on GPS in Cocke County
There has been lots of talk recently regarding ways to reduce the Cocke County Jail population. One of the suggestions has been to put people on GPS monitors or have them wear a drug patch monitor as an alternative to sitting in jail. Cocke County General Sessions Judge Brad Davidson previously to the Cocke County partnership that he would be willing to try releasing jail inmates on such monitoring. So how is that going? "So far we've put on five ankle bracelet monitors. The first three we failed miserably; all three ended up coming back to jail. And we put on two more last week including a male who got the GPS monitor and a drug patch." Judge Davidson said during the process he learned that the state fund which pays for monitoring of indigents is available only to those who have a drug charge. He has had a number of defendants who could not afford the monitors, but do not qualify for the indigent fund because they do not have a drug charge. The procedure requires extensive paperwork and contacting the monitoring firm, putting a burden on Davidson's office staff. "But we are going to keep on trying." There is a $75 installation fee for GPS monitoring and then the cost of monitoring is $10 per day, so that means a defendant who does not qualify for state assistance must have $375 up-front, to get a monitor. In the past on a first offense Violation of Probation, the defendant was released on time served, now that is the offense that qualifies a defendant locally for a monitor. "The defendant now has a choice; 30 days in jail or ninety days on an ankle bracelet, hoping they will look down, see the ankle bracelet and be reminded they have to see their probation officer". Offenses which have mandatory jail terms do not qualify for immediate ankle monitoring. But Judge Davidson says he is trying monitoring on those charged with a first offense Violation of Probation, "hopefully it will encourage people to report to probation. Probation is a privilege and not a right, so if they want to violate probation, they should be in jail."
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