Philadelphia Weekly

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Pennsylvania's Jack Wagner wants registered sex offenders to wear GPS monitors. In recent weeks, a handful of lawmakers have announced plans to introduce legislation at Wagner's behest.

"For all the right reasons, the Pennsylvania state government should be utilizing this technology to protect our most vulnerable citizens," Wagner says.

His late July announcement came not long after his office reported that of the state's 9,800 registered sex offenders, the Commonwealth had lost track of 923--nearly 10 percent. More than one-third of them had last-known addresses in southeastern Pennsylvania, including 261 in Philadelphia.

Calling those numbers "very disturbing" and "unacceptable," Wagner, who's seeking reelection in November, recommended the use of ankle-worn devices with a global positioning system--technology currently in use by 33 states.

"This is a significant law enforcement strategy for protecting all Pennsylvanians, particularly women and children," says Republican Sen. John C Rafferty Jr., who--along with Republican Sen. Jane Orie--is sponsoring legislation similar to Wagner's recommendations.

But not everyone sees the legislation as a positive development.

"People have served their time. They're trying to get their lives on track and reintegrate into society," says Andy Hoover, the legislative director for Pennsylvania's chapter of the ACLU. "This legislation would give them an electronic scarlet letter."

Hoover says legislation to expand the state's Megan's Law is introduced every legislative session but not enough research is done. "We make life worse for former offenders," he says. "But we have no idea if these policies will be effective."

Wagner, who previously criticized Megan's Law enforcement in 2006, now calls on the General Assembly to amend the law to require five years of GPS monitoring for all violent sexual offenders whose victims were children or who fail to update their home address. The requirement would serve as a strong deterrent, Wagner says.

Legislation like that, says Sen. Rafferty, would protect Pennsylvania from "creeps."

The system is not without its costs. There are some Pennsylvania counties that currently use a GPS system. They charge the former offenders a one-time "hook-up" fee of $30 to $50 as well as daily rates of $5 to $20 to cover equipment costs. Wagner says most offenders can afford the costs and those who can't could be placed on a payment plan.

Cathy Wise, of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, a Philadelphia-based social justice organization founded in 1787, says the efficacy of such a payment plan is "doubtful."

"These offenders are highly stigmatized," she says. "Where are they supposed to live? Where are they supposed to work? If they can't, how is that going to help society? This is based on an emotional reaction--a frenzied emotional reaction."

GPS technology could be a valuable tool for individual offenders, Wise says, but a blanket requirement is wasteful and distracts from the importance of rehabilitation through therapy.

For its part, the Rendell administration has said it's waiting on results of technology testing being conducted by the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole. Eight different GPS service providers are being reviewed. Philadelphia's parole board is among those participating in the test, which also includes Allentown, Harrisburg and Altoona, says Parole Board spokesperson Sherry Tate.

A similar test was conducted between October 2005 and June 2006. There were ample concerns over the technology, Tate says, including losses of signal and charging malfunctions, which has the Parole Board reluctant to push the legislation to law.

"If you have this process in action," Tate says, "you need to have the proper staff and technology to respond. We'll see."