# What is the point of supervised release with an ankle monitor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 23, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075 "2025-11-23T22:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075/41 "2025-11-25T16:12:07Z")
In addition to: - She was caught quickly, probably faster than if she hadn’t been monitored - She could have been caught much faster if the people the anklet alerted had acted on that info By removing the anklet she has committed a crime, and will end up incarcerated. That crime, which you are absolutely certain to be caught at, is a significant deterrent. Most people wearing those anklets are smart enough not to remove them. I mean, maybe you could arrange to be on a flight to a country with no extradition treaty to the US before you were caught, but that life isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, and the people who are seriously at risk to want to do that _are_ incarcerated, not left to wander around. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075/42 "2025-11-25T16:27:24Z")
In short, the ankle monitoring system worked properly. The humans who were responsible glitched. My solution? Eliminate all humans. No, not just from the monitoring system. **All** humans. They are known to fail at very high rates. Get rid of them and the failures will disappear as well. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075/43 "2025-11-25T16:33:05Z")
Veeger says “Sterilize biological units!” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075/44 "2025-11-25T21:03:18Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > So we have one case in the OP where the ankle monitor system failed, and from that one case, the OP questions the entire validity of the system of ankle monitors. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > And, of course, as suggested by @Qadgop_the_Mercotan (who worked in the prison system of the state where the person in the OP was being monitored), the person in question who cut off her ankle monitor was only on the loose for about 24 hours. So, it wasnt even much of a fail. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075/45 "2025-11-25T21:06:09Z")
The only failure was how long it took the people to respond to the notification that it had been cut. It was off for two hours before the DOC told the home and 12+ hours before the police were made aware (after the group home called to let them know the next morning). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075/46 "2025-11-25T22:04:51Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > The only failure was how long it took the people to respond to the notification that it had been cut. It was off for two hours before the DOC told the home Given the massive staff cutbacks (especially in the Community Corrections Dept which oversees these areas) in the WI DOC initiated by then Gov Scott Walker (2011-2019) I’m frankly impressed it was noted within 2 hours. No idea why the group home delayed as long as it did, other than my WAG that if it was the middle of the night, the call might have gone to voicemail. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2025, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075/47 "2025-11-26T23:25:57Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > So we have one case in the OP where the ankle monitor system failed, and from that one case, the OP questions the entire validity of the system of ankle monitors. To reiterate what others have said, the monitor worked perfectly fine. Any failure in the system was human error in monitoring the monitor system itself. I’ve known people who had ankle monitors; they would get a phone call to their land line immediately to prove that they were there when there would be glitches in the GPS system that made it appear that they had instantaneously jumped half a mile down the road. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075/48 "2026-04-27T17:43:45Z")
An ankle monitor for low level nonviolent crimes is the cheapest most humane solution to a problem. It threats everyone with respect and allows this person the space, time and ability to change their behavior which is what everyone wants. It’s a system that treats people like humans and it’s something we should be proud of. You can test structure and order in all manner of ways and it’s certain that before the felony the tests people do to the system are smaller. The ankle monitor is some structure and order forced into their ordinary life because good choices were not made. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075/49 "2026-04-27T18:52:05Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > An ankle monitor for low level nonviolent crimes is the cheapest most humane solution to a problem. It threats everyone with respect and allows this person the space, time and ability to change their behavior which is what everyone wants. It’s a system that treats people like humans and it’s something we should be proud of. Good points. Especially the cost. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-point-of-supervised-release-with-an-ankle-monitor/1025075.md?page=2)