Biometric Verification for Offender Supervision

Biometric verification systems are now being used to monitor criminal offenders that are on supervised probation, parole, or house arrest. These biometric verification systems use voice recognition and fingerprint scans to track and supervise these criminal offenders to ensure that they are where they should be, when they should be. While the introduction of this technology brings up concerns about privacy rights in the general public, use of the biometric verification systems actually makes tracking these criminal offenders much easier for law enforcement officials and probation and parole officers.

The biometric verification system can function in conjunction with traditional house arrest bracelets. While the bracelet allows for tracking of the criminal offender, authorities can be fooled if the bracelet is cleverly removed and planted on a dog or other pet. With the biometric verification system, such trickery is easily discovered.

The biometric verification system is an automated system that calls the criminal offender on their telephone at scheduled or random intervals. When the criminal offender answers the phone, or is given the phone call, a number is pressed on the touch tone phone to signify the criminal offender’s presence. Then, the criminal offender is instructed to say a phrase. The biometric verification system then verifies the location of the criminal offender through voice recognition technology.

The biometric verification system can also be used independently to ensure that criminal offenders that are on probation or parole are fulfilling their release requirements. Scheduled voice recognition phone calls can be placed to the criminal offender’s place of employment to ensure that release requirements of holding a full time job are being met. If a juvenile is being released on the basis that he or she will obtain a GED, phone calls can be scheduled with the biometric verification system to ensure that the youth is indeed at GED classes where he or she belongs.

The biometric verification system has several other uses as well. Those required to take driving classes, check classes, or perform community service can be verified. By using biometric verification in these cases, individuals would be unable to get a friend or family member to stand in for them rather than perform the required service or class themselves. The biometric verification would take place when an administrator placed a call to the system. The individual would then be asked to speak a phrase into the phone, which would be matched using voice recognition technology.

The biometric verification systems being adopted by law enforcement officials, probation officers, and parole officers is quite versatile, and could have many more uses. Should the systems become public, parents could use the biometric verification systems to track their children to ensure that they are indeed where they claim to be. It could also be used to track legal aliens to ensure that they are following immigration requirements.