In September 2004, the Home Office established three pilot programs to test the effectiveness of ST in monitoring offenders in the community. ST was authorized under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000; however, the Home Office waited to inaugurate the pilot programs until it believed the technology was more reliable, compared to that initially used in the United States. This article was written just prior to the beginning of the pilot programs in order to identify some of the issues that will be the focus of program assessment. One section of the article discusses correctional reform and the emergence of electronic tracking. It notes that ST is being implemented in England and Wales to control the geographic movement of offenders, to ensure that offenders attend work and rehabilitation programs, and to provide the police with information on the behavior of habitual offenders. After reviewing the history of the development of ST in England, the article examines its link with the problem of "populist punitiveness," which pertains to public sentiment for achieving as much control as possible over the behavior and movement of those the public perceives as threatening. Other sections of the article address the customizing of ST to offender surveillance and reasons for the emergence of this technology in corrections. Some issues identified are the political will to use satellite tracking to reduce the use of prison, the ability to respond rapidly when tracking violations are detected, and the trend toward increased surveillance for the detection of unwanted behaviors defined by the political climate. 18 notes and 82 references