Release, Detain, or Surveil? The Effect of Electronic Monitoring on Defendant Outcomes

Roman Rivera

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2026, vol. 18, issue 2, 299-329

Abstract: This paper studies the effect of pretrial electronic monitoring (EM) relative to both pretrial release and pretrial detention (jail). EM often involves a defendant wearing an electronic bracelet, which aims to reduce pretrial misconduct at a low cost. Using the quasi-random assignment of bond court judges, I estimate the effect of EM versus release and EM versus detention on pretrial misconduct, case outcomes, future recidivism, and aggregate total costs. Results indicate that EM reduces overall costs relative to detention. However, EM does not prevent enough high-cost crime to justify its use relative to release.

JEL-codes: K14 K41 K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1257/app.20240517

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