by James Neely / guest author

The debate rages about whether GPS tracking of sex offenders is a good thing or not.  Meanwhile, incidents like the one in San Diego in which a teen girl was abducted and killed by a sex offender keep occurring with nightmarish regularity.

Sex offenders must be tracked while they are under a court judgment.  That is the bottom line.  Whether recidivism rates are low among them or not is not an issue.  The issue is the safety of citizens in our communities.

A GPS tracking device used in this manner must be viewed as part of the solution to help insure safety, not as an infringement upon rights.  When one is found guilty of a sex crime, their rights must be taken away as a result of their actions.

GPS tracking provides an effective method in the enforcement of court judgments against any who are convicted of crimes.

House Arrest

GPS tracking has been used for years in the form of ankle bracelets to enforce sentences of house arrest on those whose circumstances allow for this type of situation.  The only exceptions for remaining in the house are for work related activities.  Tracking helps ensure that these guidelines are being followed.

Location Verification

Sex offenders are required by law in most states to register their presence and address in the communities in which they live even after their sentence has been served.  Often, this does not happen.  So, here’s a valid question:  why shouldn’t sex offenders be required to wear a GPS tracking device for life?  The great thing about GPS tracking is that it knows state or local boundaries.

As a Part of a Program

GPS Tracking in this way must be a part of a larger effort to keep track of sex offenders and continue to work towards their eventual healing from their addiction.  But, make no mistake, once a person has committed a sexual offense, there must never be a time that defenses are dropped in thinking that they will not commit another act.

Community Safety

Being able to move freely within our communities with little concern for the safety and welfare of citizens is of utmost importance.  As methods and technologies are developed to help insure this goal, we must embrace them to help make sure that they have every opportunity to provide what we need.

GPS Tracking is becoming an important part of these methods and will continue to help make sure that sexual predators are kept away from those who are vulnerable.