Individual sheds light on the surprising financial burden that people who wear ankle monitors face

Most of us have probably heard of or even seen people have to wear ankle monitors. We see these devices commonly used in movies, wherein governments put them on people to track their movements for a certain reason. One would assume that these ankle monitors are paid for and maintained by the government, which is surprisingly not true. Instagram influencer Jordan Howlett (@jordan_the_stallion8) recently shared a video where he shared a very important fact about ankle monitors.

The video has gone viral, with over a million likes and 21.2 million views on the social media site. At the beginning of the video, we see an individual showcasing their own ankle monitor with a text overlay reading, "Ankle braces cost $400 a month." They share that they've had theirs for eight months, costing them about $3200 in total. The video then cuts to Howlett who says: "I don't think people understand just how much this makes so much sense now."

The influencer shares how he had no idea that people had to pay for their own ankle monitors. He also shares how it was different for each person; some people had to make a down payment of $400. Other people had to pay a daily charge, which could come up to $30. This daily rate of $30 could potentially add up to $900 a month.

Howlett shared an incident from when he was working at Krispy Kreme and was getting yelled at by a customer. His manager looked at him and said, "I really don't wanna have to make monthly payments." At the time, he had no idea what his manager was talking about. But he had since come to know about recurring payments for ankle monitors and understood what his manager was worried about. He concluded by saying how one could learn something new every day.

The influencer's insights proved to be very interesting for people and they shared their opinions in the comments section. @rocky_perea said, "The prison system has and always will be the most inhumane business in America." @mark.mitkovetsky commented, "If the only punishment is financial, then the punishment is there only to punish poorer people."

According to VICE, many major cities utilize ankle monitors to reduce the number of people going to jail. The practice initially began during the pandemic to limit the spread of the virus. This device allows most states to save money by avoiding the costs of incarceration. In addition to that, it also allows people to stay in their own homes with their families. The ground reality is far from ideal, as most of these devices have a monthly fee and are plagued with faulty electronics.

For people who are not financially stable, the monthly payments for the device turn out to be another form of punishment. People who are forced to wear them end up having to pay hefty fees. In some cases, individuals are asked by courts to wear GPS trackers while awaiting trial, even after they provide cash bail. It's high time that lawmakers looked for alternative means or made humane improvements to the GPS tracking system with ankle monitors.