In American courts, the punishment of being told to "stay at home" is called House arrest.

Wearing an ankle monitor or a smartwatch type of location tracking device, as shown in the picture above, you must live only within the time, home, and nearby areas set by the court.

When and to whom is it applied?
It targets minor and non-violent offenders - the federal sentencing guidelines allow for a minimum of half of the sentence to be served in actual confinement when the prison term is between 10 to 16 months, with the remainder allowed to be substituted with house arrest.

Used as 'waiting' instead of confinement
It is often used as a condition of bail before trial and for social reintegration training at the end of a sentence. The BOP (Bureau of Prisons) typically assigns house arrest to inmates within six months of their remaining sentence.

Basic rules to follow
-Allowed outing times and purposes: Only for work, hospital visits, religious events, essential grocery shopping, etc.

-24-hour tracking: The monitor sends location data via GPS and cellular. Some areas are piloting facial recognition smartwatches.

-Cost burden: In many states, the wearer pays a daily fee of $5 to $15. If they cannot pay, there are cases where it is replaced with confinement.

-Penalty for unauthorized departure: Immediate cancellation of bail, re-incarceration, and additional sentencing.

Advantages and limitations

-Alleviates prison overcrowding and reduces budget    The cost of the monitor is passed on to the defendant, raising concerns about discrimination against the poor.

-Allows for family and job maintenance → Reduces recidivism (12.4% recidivism rate for early release under the FSA)​

-Criticism of technological malfunctions and expanded digital surveillance

-Not applicable to those with housing instability

How widely is it used?

As of 2021, over 250,000 people were under electronic supervision, and research indicates that this number nearly doubled to almost 500,000 in 2022. The rapid spread was also influenced by the issue of collective infections in correctional facilities after the 2020 pandemic.

The draft of the 2025 federal sentencing guidelines released in February this year states that "House arrest should only be imposed for the purpose of replacing confinement," indicating a movement to clarify that it is not a punishment but a substitute for incarceration.

House arrest has more loopholes than one might think.

Errors in monitoring devices and excessive sanctions
If the battery of the electronic monitor dies or there is a GPS error, the system recognizes it as "escape." Even if the individual remains still inside their home, alarms may sound, putting them at risk of re-arrest. The quality of the device or the state of the communication network can determine whether one is confined, meaning that technological errors can escalate into human rights issues.

Deepening social and economic inequalities
Some states in the U.S. pass the rental and management costs of the devices onto the inmates. The monthly cost ranges from $100 to $300, and since many of those affected are low-income, an irony arises where they are "in debt while being confined at home." For those without money, it becomes another form of punishment.

Burden shifted to families and neighbors
Just because the place of confinement has changed from prison to residence does not mean the risk of crime disappears. The responsibility for protection and supervision effectively shifts to families, which can increase conflicts, and the anxiety felt by victims or neighbors cannot be ignored. The community suddenly taking on the role of a "small prison" without a care system can lead to significant side effects if there is no support infrastructure.

Ultimately, House arrest in the U.S. is "home instead of prison," but it is also often described as a digital prison where individuals must pay for 24-hour electronic surveillance.