OWG
02-18-2005, 08:44 AM
Just read this, interesting.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/02/16/healey_proposes_using_gps_to_protect_abuse_victims _gang_crime_witnesses/
OK, link doesn't appear to work so here it is:
Healey proposes GPS to protect abuse victims, gang witnesses
By Karen Testa, Associated Press Writer | February 16, 2005
BOSTON --Victims of domestic abuse and witnesses to gang crimes could get special protections from satellite technology under new legislation filed Wednesday by Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey.
The bill would make Massachusetts the first state to use Global Positioning System monitoring to combat domestic violence, Healey's office said.
Under the proposal, courts would be allowed to force abusers who violate their restraining orders to wear a monitoring device as a condition of their probation. The system would alert the victim and police if the offender enters certain restricted areas, such as a home, workplace or child's school.
The technology already is being used in Massachusetts to track the state's most dangerous sexual predators.
Abusers who are caught in excluded zones, which would be determined by a court, would be punished by up to a $5,000 fine or 2 1/2 years in jail.
Victim advocates say this legislation is historic because it would shift the burden off the victim to protect herself or himself. Most often, the victims are the ones who alter their routines -- or worse, give up their homes, jobs and communities -- to try to stay safe.
"Really the limitations are put on the person who is causing harm and probably more than that it is the approach that is most likely to be successful in terms of keeping victims safe," said Nancy Scannell, director of government affairs for Jane Doe Inc.
Since 1993, 267 people have died through domestic violence in Massachusetts, Scannell said.
Gangsters or other criminal defendants could also be subject to such satellite monitoring under Healey's bill, which expands tools for prosecutors to protect witnesses and bring charges against those who try to silence them.
Anyone who threatens or injures a witness would face up to 10 years in state prison and a $5,000 fine, or up to 20 years if there is serious injury, under the legislation. To encourage witnesses to come forward and testify, courts will also be encouraged to issue restraining orders against defendants in gang-related crimes.
If the restraining order is violated, the court would be able to order the defendants to wear the GPS tracking device. If the defendant enters an excluded zone, he could be locked up pending trial.
"Justice hangs in the balance unless critical witnesses can testify without the fear of retaliation," Healey said.
The cost of the GPS system is about $10 per day per person, and could be paid for by the offender.
Officials with the American Civil Liberties Union in Massachusetts did not immediately offer an opinion on the propopsal.
Parts of Healey's legislation which relate to witness protection and intimidation mirror proposals in a bill filed in December by Sen. Jarrett Barrios, D-Cambridge, chairman of the joint Public Safety and Homeland Committee.
Barrios, who appeared with Healey as she announced her new legislation, said he was interested in learning more about the satellite tracking.
"I think it's high time we brought our criminal justice system up to date," he said.
Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said witness intimidation cuts to the core of the criminal justice system. He supported Healey and Barrios' proposals to better protect witnesses and give tools to prosecutors, and said the state's district attorneys are urging lawmakers to pass the measures quickly.
© Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/02/16/healey_proposes_using_gps_to_protect_abuse_victims _gang_crime_witnesses/
OK, link doesn't appear to work so here it is:
Healey proposes GPS to protect abuse victims, gang witnesses
By Karen Testa, Associated Press Writer | February 16, 2005
BOSTON --Victims of domestic abuse and witnesses to gang crimes could get special protections from satellite technology under new legislation filed Wednesday by Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey.
The bill would make Massachusetts the first state to use Global Positioning System monitoring to combat domestic violence, Healey's office said.
Under the proposal, courts would be allowed to force abusers who violate their restraining orders to wear a monitoring device as a condition of their probation. The system would alert the victim and police if the offender enters certain restricted areas, such as a home, workplace or child's school.
The technology already is being used in Massachusetts to track the state's most dangerous sexual predators.
Abusers who are caught in excluded zones, which would be determined by a court, would be punished by up to a $5,000 fine or 2 1/2 years in jail.
Victim advocates say this legislation is historic because it would shift the burden off the victim to protect herself or himself. Most often, the victims are the ones who alter their routines -- or worse, give up their homes, jobs and communities -- to try to stay safe.
"Really the limitations are put on the person who is causing harm and probably more than that it is the approach that is most likely to be successful in terms of keeping victims safe," said Nancy Scannell, director of government affairs for Jane Doe Inc.
Since 1993, 267 people have died through domestic violence in Massachusetts, Scannell said.
Gangsters or other criminal defendants could also be subject to such satellite monitoring under Healey's bill, which expands tools for prosecutors to protect witnesses and bring charges against those who try to silence them.
Anyone who threatens or injures a witness would face up to 10 years in state prison and a $5,000 fine, or up to 20 years if there is serious injury, under the legislation. To encourage witnesses to come forward and testify, courts will also be encouraged to issue restraining orders against defendants in gang-related crimes.
If the restraining order is violated, the court would be able to order the defendants to wear the GPS tracking device. If the defendant enters an excluded zone, he could be locked up pending trial.
"Justice hangs in the balance unless critical witnesses can testify without the fear of retaliation," Healey said.
The cost of the GPS system is about $10 per day per person, and could be paid for by the offender.
Officials with the American Civil Liberties Union in Massachusetts did not immediately offer an opinion on the propopsal.
Parts of Healey's legislation which relate to witness protection and intimidation mirror proposals in a bill filed in December by Sen. Jarrett Barrios, D-Cambridge, chairman of the joint Public Safety and Homeland Committee.
Barrios, who appeared with Healey as she announced her new legislation, said he was interested in learning more about the satellite tracking.
"I think it's high time we brought our criminal justice system up to date," he said.
Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said witness intimidation cuts to the core of the criminal justice system. He supported Healey and Barrios' proposals to better protect witnesses and give tools to prosecutors, and said the state's district attorneys are urging lawmakers to pass the measures quickly.
© Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company