Community Corner

Signs of Success: Pilot Program Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence

A GPS tracking system put in place in Connecticut in 2010 is proving to be an effective tool, but expanding it could prove costly.

By Gary Jeanfaivre

A pilot program to better protect victims of domestic violence in Connecticut appears to be working. And the results are so promising that some victim advocates and at least one state Senator are hoping to expand the program across the state.  

According to a report by the Connecticut Mirror, not one domestic violence victim has been harmed or killed in the three years of the program, which tracks high-risk offenders via a GPS bracelet and alerts victims and authorities if the parties come within a certain distance of each other.

The program is being tested in the areas of Hartford, Bridgeport and Danielson, Conn., the Mirror reports, and it costs about $500,000 per year (a federal grant paid for the first year).

If rolled out statewide, it could cost nearly $2 million per year, according to the Mirror.

The results of the pilot program come less than a month after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed off on a new bill that strengthens Connecticut's domestic violence laws. 

YOUR TAKE: Would you support expanding the program statewide?


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