3 things you need to know about house arrest

Every day people across the Miami Valley are at their homes with house arrest monitors. While the program is used throughout the region, many remain in the shadows about how it works.

Here are three things you should know about house arrest.

1) How does house arrest work?

A person on house arrest has to stay within a programmed area. In Montgomery County, if the person leaves that area, the court gets an alert and a GPS pinpoints their location. If staff can’t find them, a warrant is issued for their arrest and police and the victim are notified.

2) How many people are on house arrest?

When News Center 7 checked on Jan. 17, there were 268 people on house arrest in Montgomery, Greene, Clark, Butler and Warren counties. The number was typical for the area, according to officials.

3) How is someone placed on house arrest?

Screening Services interview everyone arrested in Montgomery County on felony and some misdemeanor charges.  A reported is filed with that information and submitted to court with a bond recommendation.

On Monday, Feb. 4, News Center 7 looks into house arrest and what happens when a person ditches their GPS monitor and takes off. Tune in at 5:30 p.m.