GPS tracking and domestic violence offenders : promise and pitfalls

The use of GPS tracking as a law enforcement tool has dramatically increased both in Australia and overseas. The New South Wales Government is considering a trial of GPS monitoring specifically for domestic violence offenders and has included it as a term of reference in the Legislative Council Standing Committee on Social Issues Inquiry Into Domestic Violence Trends and Issues in NSW. Several European countries and eighteen of the fifty states in the United States (US) now use GPS technology to monitor domestic violence offenders (Kercher et al. 2010). In light of these developments, it is worth revisiting the question of whether GPS technology is viable as a domestic violence prevention strategy.