SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this week praised a program that puts a GPS device on every sex offender on state parole.
"Having a GPS device on every sex offender parolee in California is an important public safety tool that will hold these individuals accountable for their actions and whereabouts," Schwarzenegger said Monday. "Protecting our children and families from sexual predators is a priority, and with a GPS device on every sex offender on parole and parole agents monitoring these offenders aggressively, we will make our communities safer."
A total of 6,622 parolees have been fitted with an ankle bracelet that transmits its location to parole agents who monitor them. Agents also visit these individuals on a routine basis.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had originally projected to have every sex offender parolee under GPS monitoring by June 2009, but was able to complete the task six months ahead of time.
Jessica's Law, also known as Proposition 83, which was passed overwhelmingly by California voters in 2006, required that every paroled sex offender be monitored by GPS.
