We’ve seen both the upsides and downsides of criminals being tracked with GPS monitoring bracelets. But one Republican candidate for Philadelphia district attorney, Michael Untermeyer, is so convinced that the upsides outweigh the downsides, he’s sporting an ankle bracelet that will record his real-time location for the next month. His thinking? The costs of administering a full scale GPS monitoring program for non-violent offenders will result in significant cost-savings for the city. While it costs $97 per day in tax dollars to house someone awaiting trial in a lockup facility, it only costs $2 to $8 per day for a GPS bracelet solution. However, such a solution also has large upfront costs: more than $1300 to purchase each bracelet and millions more to hire a team large enough to keep tabs on everyone. Untermeyer has a website set up where you can live out your voyeuristic fantasies for the next 30 days.
