Better than the big house

If Frances Benitez wants to go out and get a Whopper from Burger King, she has to call across town for permission.

If she goes to a neighbor's house for the evening, she could get thrown in jail.

That's because if the phone rings, she'd better be home to answer it.

Since September, Benitez has been under house arrest.

There are no bars in front of her windows; there's no bracelet on her ankle. She leaves for work every morning, but what keeps her inside when she comes home at night is the phone call -- randomized by a computer -- that she could miss on a whimsical trip to a 7-Eleven.

At work in a tiny office, tucked at the end of a strip mall near the corner of Rancho Drive and Washington Avenue, are the people making those phone calls to Benitez and other home-bound offenders. They are with the Security and Enforcement Division of the city of Las Vegas' house-arrest unit. They monitor 80 to 100 home-bounders through a computerized phone system 24 hours a day.

Benitez, who is doing time for five neglected traffic violations, is one of them.

Since 1991, the division, run by four officers, one supervisor and a receptionist, has monitored 3,712 people who have been sentenced for misdemeanors ranging from neglected traffic violations to domestic abuse.

The division is branching out. On Dec. 21, the city of Las Vegas agreed to monitor city of Henderson offenders as well. The city also monitors house-arrestees from Boulder City, Pahrump, Mesquite, North Las Vegas and Nye County.

Violators will be returned to the jails of their respective localities. For example, if a Henderson home-bounder violates the house arrest restrictions, he will be returned to the Henderson detention center.

To have the luxury of house arrest, all participants must pay $11 a day to the Las Vegas Municipal Court House Arrest program. A $100 orientation fee is also charged.

Robert Galante, supervisor for the city's house arrest program, welcomes the additional referrals.

As of November, the program has saved taxpayers $1.6 million during the past fiscal year and generated more than $300,000 in revenue.

Keeping low-risk offenders out of the detention centers is cost efficient, Galante said. Jailing a person, he said, costs $75 a day at a minimum.

Galante, a former parole officer from Albany, N.Y., has been with the city's house arrest program since 1991.

"For low-risk people it's great," Galante said. "The fact that we are taking referrals for other jurisdictions is important to taxpayers."

Because house arrest is so beneficial to taxpayers and those sentenced, a payment plan is set for those struggling to make the payment, Galante said. If payment is not forthcoming by the end of their sentences, however, prisoners are sent back to court.

While the $77-a-week charge may seem steep, Galante said many find a way.

"Some people don't have any money, but if a case like this comes up, they're going to find the money," Galante said. "When you're put in a tank downtown and going to a jail cell, you're going to want to be put under house arrest."

A stable job, a place of residence and a telephone are also required for house arrestees.

Keeping an offender employed while serving time is a major benefit of the program, said Chief Judge Seymore Brown, who in 1991 switched the system from ankle bands to the computer calling program.

"He stays at home with his family and maintains his job," Brown said. "If he spends 30 days in jail, he loses one month of work and could end up on welfare."

For Benitez, who is an administrative assistant at a local treatment center, being cooped up in her house can sometimes be frustrating, but she says it's a lot better than the alternative.

"If you go to jail, you can lose your job and have to start all over. I'm looking to get things right."

Until her sentence is through in April, Benitez will be closely monitored by random phone calls from the computer system.

Those wanting to run an errand or pick up some groceries -- two hours a week of personal time is allowed -- must first have permission from their officer.

"We don't give them a lot of leeway," Bernard Jackson, a house arrest officer, said. "If you call wanting to go somewhere and no one's here, then you can't go. If you don't call before office hours end, then you can't go anywhere."

If a call is missed for any reason, a second call is placed five minutes later. A call can be missed once or twice.

"We're looking for patterns of deception," Jackson said. "We're not looking to lock people up. They respect our operation. We respect them."

A sneak out of the house for whatever reason, however, could mean being picked up and thrown into jail.

"It's a big life change," Galante said. "Your personal time is arranged. The one thing that keeps them in line is the threat of going to jail."

Keeping track of them through phone calls is foolproof, said Derrick Hibbler, house arrest officer. "There's so many checks and balances we have with this unit," he said.

In addition to the random computer phone calls, random house visits are made by the officers.

"In house arrest, computers are really one-third of the operation. The field officers are the ones that really make the difference," Galante said.

Yet the calls still come, three to eight calls a day.

Two-thirds of those on house arrest use speaker identification. When called, they say a series of numbers that are compared to a pre-recorded voice template in a computer system.

The remaining third, who have more serious misdemeanors -- DUI or domestic abuse -- use a photo identification program, a black box plugged into the phone that allows the arrestee to snap a photo when called.

The photo, along with name date and time, is recorded into a computer, monitored by Hibbler.

Some DUI arrestees, prohibited from alcohol consumption, are required to blow into a Breathalyzer, which is also connected to the phone. A digital register is shown as the photo is taken. One-third of people on the photo identification program are required to use the Breathalyzer, Hibbler said.

Time limit for house arrest can be anywhere from two days up to one year. The term is double that of a mandated jail sentence. If a person receives a 30-day jail sentence, it means 60 days in house arrest, Jackson said.

For offenders, being home with family, holding onto their jobs, and not being told when to eat or go to bed are just some of the benefits, Hibbler said. And for taxpayers, the monetary savings make the program truly a win-win, officials stress.

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