Occupational Stress Associated With Technological Diversion Among Pretrial Services Officers: A Qualitative Case Study of GPS Supervision for Intimate Partner and Domestic Violence Cases

• Published date: 01 November 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231189628
• Author: Spencer G. Lawson,Eric Grommon
• Date: 01 November 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/10439862231189628

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

2023, Vol. 39(4) 590 –612

© The Author(s) 2023

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DOI: 10.1177/10439862231189628

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Article

Occupational Stress

Associated With

Technological Diversion

Among Pretrial Services

Officers: A Qualitative Case

Study of GPS Supervision

for Intimate Partner and

Domestic Violence Cases

Spencer G. Lawson1 and Eric Grommon2

Abstract

The application of global positioning system (GPS) technology as a pretrial diversion

mechanism to monitor intimate partner and domestic violence (IPV/DV) cases has

become increasingly common. As more jurisdictions implement GPS technology,

there is a need to understand the workplace experiences of community corrections

officers with this nascent supervision strategy. This qualitative case study draws

upon the experiences gleaned from in-depth interviews with all the pretrial officers

assigned to technology caseloads (n = 8) in a single jurisdiction to explore prevailing

occupational stress themes associated with GPS supervision for IPV/DV cases as a

diversion from pretrial detention. The results reinforce and extend a range of well-

established stressors in the extant literature related to pretrial officers managing

a GPS caseload of IPV/DV defendants. The findings highlight that pretrial officers

using GPS technology are expected to serve in other unique roles (e.g., critical

educator, software engineer, data collection specialist, communication expert, and

victim advocate) in the course of their duties that were unanticipated sources of

occupational stress. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

1University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA

2Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA

Corresponding Author:

Spencer G. Lawson, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 222

Maple Avenue Chang Building, Shrewsbury, MA, 01545, USA.

Email: Spencer.lawson1@umassmed.edu

1189628CCJXXX10.1177/10439862231189628Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticeLawson and Grommon

research-article2023

Lawson and Grommon 591

Keywords

GPS supervision, stress, pretrial diversion, intimate partner violence, domestic

violence

Introduction

The field of community corrections is rife with occupational stress (Lewis et al., 2013;

Mack & Rhineberger-Dunn, 2021; Norman & Ricciardelli, 2022; Rhineberger-Dunn

& Mack, 2019). Occupational stress generally refers to reactions that disrupt psycho-

logical, physical, or behavioral conditions in response to acute or chronic stimuli in the

workplace (Beehr, 1995; Beehr & Newman, 1978). Community corrections profes-

sionals manage a range of work-related stressors, such as large general or specialized

caseloads (Gayman et al., 2018; Lewis et al., 2013), organizational conditions per-

ceived as hostile (Mack & Rhineberger-Dunn, 2021; Slate et al., 2003), and a lack of

job training and resources (Pitts, 2007; Rhineberger-Dunn et al., 2017). On-the-job

safety concerns and unmet role expectations also contribute to higher levels of occu-

pational stress and turnover among community corrections staff (Lowry, 2000;

Rhineberger-Dunn & Mack, 2019, 2020).

Occupational stress may be amplified within community corrections due to the

evolving nature of the field to adopt technology to supervise clients who would have

been incarcerated in the absence of technology. For example, the increasing percent-

age of justice-involved populations under global positioning system (GPS) supervi-

sion since the late 1990s (Erez et al., 2013) may exacerbate already high levels of

stress experienced by community corrections professionals. Broadly speaking, GPS

supervision programs track defendant movement and utilize exclusion zone configura-

tions surrounding a victim’s location. When a defendant enters an exclusion zone,

community corrections professionals are alerted and must diagnose the violation in

terms of severity and respond appropriately. Community corrections personnel man-

age GPS alerts as they progress in varying ways according to policy and practice (e.g.,

victim notifications). Indeed, exclusion zone violations may be intentional or uninten-

tional (e.g., traveling on a major roadway) and defendants may subvert GPS devices

on purpose or on accident (e.g., low battery alerts). A community corrections officer

must discern between these low- and high-priority alerts and events as quickly as pos-

sible while continuing to monitor the defendant’s location. The technological chal-

lenges and dynamic responses to alert notifications and affiliated events associated

with GPS supervision are prevalent (Carter & Grommon, 2016; Erez et al., 2013;

Grommon et al., 2017); thus, utilizing this form of monitoring system with certain

populations may compound stress that already accompanies community corrections.

GPS supervision has been applied to defendants awaiting the resolution of intimate

partner and domestic violence (IPV/DV) cases. The high rate of IPV/DV in the United

States is well-established (Wojcik et al., 2021; Zeoli & Paruk, 2020). Millions of

women (30 million or about one in four) and men (12 million or nearly one in 10) have

reported victimization by an intimate partner and some form of IPV-related impact

during their lifetime (Smith et al., 2018). The use of pretrial GPS supervision in IPV/