Home Arrest

Home arrest is a form of intermediate sanction that is used as an alternative to incarceration. This practice is known by many different names, including house arrest, home confinement, home detention, home incarceration, or home curfew. It comes in many forms and is used throughout the country for a diverse range of offenders. Typically, the decision to place someone on home arrest sentence is based on risk prediction involving factors such as the offender's past criminal record, the nature and circumstances of the current offense, history of good conduct, community and family witnesses, personal and family history, and drug or alcohol abuse history.

Home arrest allows the criminal justice system to reduce costs and some harmful effects of incarceration while allowing the offender access to rehabilitative opportunities in the community. Offenders under home arrest often serve their sentence (or some part of it) in the community, while remaining in their residence during certain defined hours of the day and night. As a result, they are often able to maintain employment. Where possible they are also required to pay some of the costs of monitoring house arrest, in addition to any restitution they may owe to victims.

Home arrest is administered at the frontend of the criminal justice system as a form of sentencing, but it can also be used at the backend of the criminal justice system as part of parole. It may be used for nonviolent offenders in lieu of prison or for violent offenders and/or repeat offenders as a form of intensive supervision after prison. In some instances, home arrest is used prior to conviction in the criminal justice system for pretrial release of offenders who cannot afford bail or for offenders who pose increased risk of flight or danger to the community.