by Donna M. Carbone
When my children were small, each morning began with complaints of “He’s looking at me. He’s looking at me.” My son, ever the nudge, would position a box of cereal or a book between himself and his sister and pretend to read, while actually staring her in the face. She would grow more and more annoyed as her attempts to push the box or book away failed, and the whining began. Now, in the context of satellite surveillance of sexual predators and domestic abusers, her words are music to my ears. “We’re looking at you. We’re looking at you.”
The ravages of domestic abuse never fade. Forty years after my escape from a marriage that nearly took my life, the emotional scars are still visible. Remarried, I’m good at playing the part of confident woman, happy wife and blessed mother. Most of the time, the act doesn’t take much effort. Time has honed my performance skills.
In my recent past, going to the post office or grocery store solo was a major accomplishment. Leaving the house after dark alone – well, that’s a work in progress. Pumping gasoline is still difficult because I feel exposed and vulnerable while waiting for the tank to fill. Seldom do I let the gauge go under the half way mark. “An ounce of prevention…,” as Ben Franklin advised us. Far too many abused women have learned the painful fact that a “cure” is rarely possible.
As if my exposure to domestic abuse wasn’t bad enough, in 2007 my then 27-year old daughter was kidnapped, beaten and repeatedly raped by a maintenance man who worked in the apartment complex where she lived. He used a master key to gain entrance and tortured her for over three hours. Miraculously, she survived. Her assailant is serving three life sentences for his crime, but, as we all know, in the criminal justice system “life” does not necessarily mean until a convicted felon stops breathing. Needless to say, I am a major proponent of anything that will protect women and children from the very real possibility of pain and/or death that is too often their fate.
Recently, I read with great interest about Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) used for tracking/monitoring violent offenders. According to an article on abuse, twenty-three states are using GPS technology to track assailants. By the latest statistics, the total number of individuals being so monitored is over 5000. That means a lot of women and children are living in fear of their lives on a daily basis.
Among the states that have adopted this technology are Missouri, Wisconsin, California, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Florida. The State of Florida, where my daughter was attacked, requires mandatory lifetime tracking for perpetrators of crimes against children under the age of 11. Wisconsin also mandates lifetime GPS monitoring for repeat child predators.
Based on numerous studies, it has been determined that parolees are less likely to assault another person when they know they are being tracked. Since many experts believe that a predilection toward rape and pedophilia is incurable, lifetime monitoring of repeat offenders should be the norm – not the exception – in all fifty states no matter the age of the victim.
During my first marriage, my only defenses against stalking and beatings were excellent peripheral vision and a highly tuned sense that danger was near. How exciting it was to learn that advancements like GPS monitoring were available and mandated by the courts! Then I read the fine print.
According to the San Diego Tribune (6/16/10), the State of California spends an average of $60 million a year tracking more than 7,000 convicted sex offenders with GPS. Yet, over 31,000 alerts went unresolved in an area ranging from Los Angeles through San Bernardino County to the Mexican border. How is that possible?
Research showed that not all GPS tracking/monitoring systems are alike. Different systems offer varying levels of protection and, depending on whom you are talking to, different interpretations of tracking/monitoring. Most companies that manufacture these systems advertise that their control centers are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Technically, that’s true. There is, however, a caveat not as readily offered.
Tracking merely allows parole/probation officers to see where an offender was when a warning message was sent to their “In box” – not where that offender is at the present moment. An hour or more might pass before that warning is retrieved and, by then, the offender may already have committed another crime. Monitoring is done in “real time,” meaning an offender is never out of sight. Having been at risk far too often in my life, and having seen my daughter’s disfigurement immediately after the attack on her person, I am glad to know that a viable solution is so readily available – should the courts and states decide to use it.
If you or a child in your care has been a victim of abuse, contact your local authorities to find out if GPS technology is available in your area. Should the answer be yes, demand to know what kind and be prepared to fight for real time monitoring. If GPS is not being used to track repeat offenders, find an advocacy group to work with toward that end. The life you save could be your own or that of someone you love.
Only the immediate transmission of a warning will allow sufficient opportunity to take precautionary measures. Anything less is 59 minutes too late!
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