Approximately 7,500 offenders or pretrial detainees currently live in their own residences with curfews and restricted access to the community monitored electronically. Outside military bases where it has been used effectively, house arrest was ineffectual and fraught with danger until electronic monitoring. Careful planning is essential to establishing a successful program. Among the steps outlined in the article are determining if the number of eligible offenders justifies the program, conducting a risk assessment of this population, formulating equipment specifications, publicizing the concept to the public and elected officials, and keeping statistics on the program as it progresses. Benefits of electronic monitoring include reduced prison crowding, cost-effectiveness, and better interaction between parole officers and offenders.