Medina County Implements Checkups Version 2 to Further Boost Criminal Justice System Remote Monitoring Efforts
County has worked with San Antonio-based tech company for nearly two years to check in with offenders using an innovative mobile app, now adds more customized features
Checkups, a San Antonio-based technology company and Medina County, Texas, announced today that the county will begin using the latest version of the company’s remote monitoring solution for the criminal justice system.
Medina County and Checkups began working together nearly two years ago when county officials identified the need for a better and more cost-effective way to actively monitor their low-risk individuals based in remote locations. Many of these people were challenged with meeting a judge’s requirements to check in in person or use costly devices such as ankle monitors because of factors like their lower-wage jobs, thus risking further violations. To solve this issue, the county’s Pretrial Services began using Checkups mobile phone app which incorporates GPS, photographic verification and electronic signatures to monitor and track their whereabouts.
Medina County has reduced the overall cost per check-in by 96% for the offender since engaging Checkups, while also better accommodating defendants in rural areas through remote onboarding and check-ins, which help them better fulfill their obligations to the court. Supervisors in Medina County have also saved on average 60 hours per month using Checkups’ remote check-in and scheduling features as the technology removes the need to meet in person.
“With Checkups, Medina County reduced the overall burden of community supervision on both the county and the offenders significantly while also allowing the County to focus their attention on more pressing needs,” said Enrique Pavlioglou, CEO of Checkups. “We are excited to work with them to implement Version 2 as it will give them a far greater ability to customize the types of monitoring protocols and provide new levels of analysis, which can yield further cost savings.”
Checkups Version 2 includes innovative features such as geo fencing, which allows supervisors to select areas where an individual is not allowed, the ability to track and notify supervisors of an individual’s exact location at any point and time and more.
“Checkups has been an invaluable tool for us. It’s helped reduce expenses for the county and allowed lower risk defendants to more successfully integrate themselves back into society,” said Darcy Hasty, director, Medina County Indigent Defense and Pretrial Services. “Their technology has streamlined the monitoring and reporting processes for our staff, allowing them to do more with less, while our judges have found tremendous value in features like the app’s curfew function since it gives them a clear picture of whether defendants are meeting their court-ordered requirements.”
