House Arrest | Law - Encyclopedia Britannica

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Cost-effectiveness

A major concern about house arrest is whether it is cost-effective. The cost-effectiveness of house arrest is dependent on a number of conditions, including where in the trial process it is being used, how it is implemented, what types of offenders are deemed eligible, and whether they recidivate. The cost-effectiveness of house-arrest programs is a controversial issue that is often researched.

At the front end of the system, for pretrial defendants, a limited use of house arrest is likely to be cost-effective as long as it is used for people who normally would not be released on their own recognizance or who cannot make bail. Likewise, at the sentencing stage, house arrest is likely to be cost-effective if used on lesser offenders who would normally be detained or on those who may have gotten probation but who need the extra formal controls to resist criminal temptations. At the tail end of the criminal justice system, house arrest is almost certainly cost-effective, because the costs of housing offenders and building new prisons is immense in comparison with the costs of monitoring offenders’ home confinement or curfew. Furthermore, the fact that offenders often are allowed to work enables them to support families, pay restitution, and even help pay for the equipment used to monitor them. One must also consider rates of recidivism and the safety of the public when determining cost-effectiveness.

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