The program began in 1986. It has helped control inmate overcrowding and has also served the broader philosophical purpose of releasing those defendants who can be returned to the community, but who are unable to post the required cash bond. Judges receive a written bond report about the defendant's background and can ask for a more detailed bond supervision evaluation. The judge can include electronic monitoring, substance abuse treatment, or other conditions to ensure court appearance and minimize the risk of pretrial misconduct. Electronic monitoring is generally used for the riskier clients, who have more serious charges, are chemically dependent, are recidivists, or are already on some other form of community supervision. Although data from 1986-88 show that electronically monitored defendants are more likely to commit technical violations than are nonmonitored defendants, the nonmonitored defendants are more likely to be rearrested, to fail to appear, or both. Thus, electronic monitoring enhances the ability to supervise defendants in the community, although it does not replace officer surveillance or casework. Tables and footnotes.