The justice system is confusing. Have questions about policing, the jail and prison system, and the courts in Cuyahoga County? The Marshall Project – Cleveland team.
Submit your questions here and find all the questions we’ve answered on this website.
GPS devices, or electronic ankle monitors, may keep people out of jail, but they cost money to use. One reader asked about the cost of GPS monitoring for people awaiting trial or serving probation.
Who pays the fee in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court?
GPS monitoring is often used as a condition of bail while a person’s case is pending. People on probation or parole also may be put on GPS monitoring as a condition of their release to make sure they are following the rules of their supervision.
In 2020, ACLU Ohio called for GPS monitoring reform in Cuyahoga County, citing exorbitant costs to defendants, many of whom had not been convicted of a crime. The Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court was requiring defendants to pay $56 a week for ankle monitoring services.
That changed In 2021, according to Darren Toms, the court’s spokesperson. He said the court reduced GPS fees from $8 a day to $3.20 a day with a $576 cap.
However, the court does not deny people the ability to be released on GPS monitoring because they can’t afford the fees, Toms said.
Under the new guidelines, fees aren’t charged until a person’s criminal case is decided. If the person is found not guilty or the case is dismissed, the fees are automatically dropped. If the person is convicted and sent to prison, there are no fees.
Fees can apply if the person is placed on probation. Their attorney can ask the trial judge for the fee to be waived. Usually, the fee is waived, if the defendant can’t afford to pay, Toms said.
If a fee is required after a conviction, the person can do community service at a rate of $15 per hour to cover the cost.
