New Jersey legislators may be looking to take more steps to make victims of domestic violence safer. If a new bill is enacted, domestic violence offenders who repeatedly disobey restraining orders will be monitored with GPS equipment.

Information gained through the use of GPS technology will be relayed to the victim and law enforcement in the area. This means that both the victim and authorities will be able to act on the situation faster, perhaps giving them the time to prevent any serious injuries or fatalities from occurring.

A device will be provided to victims so that they can know when their convicted assailant or assailants are approaching. Details about how many times offenders will have to violate restraining orders before this is ordered were not released. All that was said is that judges would be allowed to order this to anyone with a history of repeat violations.

A state assemblyman who is co-sponsoring the bill said that the tactic is already used in other states. It allows a victim's safety to be reaffirmed, giving that person more of an ability to return to a normal life. Looking at data from other states, the assemblyman said the recidivism rates of individuals on GPS monitoring were considerably below the national average of those who weren't monitored by GPS.

Though this may be designed to increase the safety of victims, it will likely be met with some resistance. Some will likely question whether using GPS monitoring is constitutional.

The bill has been sent to the state Assembly Appropriations Committee, one step closer to being considered by the full General Assembly. But until the law passes, victims of domestic violence need to continue to seek help, and that includes contacting police and a family law attorney, who can help with obtaining a restraining order.

Source: News Works, "N.J. considers allowing victims of domestic violence to monitor offenders," Phil Gregory, Feb. 7, 2012