In the last few days, we are flooded by emails from concerned Indian students, especially from Hyderabad about the use of ankle monitors on some of the Tri Valley Students suspected of visa related fraud. Hyderabad is consistently one of the top three cities in the world for the incoming traffic to app2us.com. Naturally we are concerned about the matter as we value Hyderabad and its residents. So we decided to dig deep in the matter and bring out some facts, as against the irresponsible journalism by some of the newspapers and news channels.

Our first task was to find out what is the ankle monitor and what is its intended use. We did some independent research and tried to talk to experts We summarize our opinion at the end.

What is the ankle monitor normally used for?
Omnilink based in Georgia is a leading manufacturer of GPS enabled ankle monitors. According to Omnilink the use of ankle monitor covers a wide range which can be broadly classified into voluntary people tracking and tracking related to the criminal justice systems.

Private usage:
• Patients suffering of diseases like Alzheimer’s and Dementia
• College and school Students (monitored by their parents)
• Children (monitored by their parents)

Corporate usage:
• Mobile Workers (monitored by their employers, with consent)
• Lone Workers (monitored by their employers, with consent)

Criminal Justice system related:
• Sex Offenders
• Domestic Violence Offenders
• Domestic Violence Victims
• Pre-trial Defendants
• Parolees
• House Arrest Participants
• Truant Students
• Gang Members

What are the obvious facts that can be safely inferred from the above list?
1. None of the above are animals
2. Many of the above are obviously not criminals

In addition, RFID ankle monitors are used on newborns in most hospitals in US, some in India, to prevent the theft of a newborn baby.

Expert opinion on Ankle monitors: Dr. Robert Gable
We decided to talk to a renowned academic authority on the subject. We reached out to Dr. Robert Gable, co-inventor and pioneer of the device. Dr. Gable is currently an emeritus professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University. He received both a doctorate in education from Harvard and a doctorate in experimental psychology from Brandeis in 1964. Much of his professional work has centered on developing behavioral therapy for juvenile delinquents, including remote radio-frequency monitoring of physiological responses. Dr. Gable was kind enough to talk to us at a short notice. After providing the context of and reason behind the query we asked him, “Dr. Gable, What is your opinion on the use of RFID Ankle Monitors on people suspected of wrongdoing, but not convicted of any crime?” Dr. Gable took the pains of going through the Tri Valley news coverage before responding.
His response: “The anklets should not be termed ‘collars’. They are not put around the neck nor used on animals. The devices are basically radio or GPS units that have a secure strap so that they cannot be removed. They can be hidden under clothes; although a few people show them off and put decorations on them.

The purpose is to know where the person is that they will show up for a court appearance. Normally, the person is allowed go to regularly scheduled activities such grocery shopping, school, or work. A judge determines the “flight risk” of the person who is charged with a crime. If person does not have a permanent residence in the United States, an extended family in the U.S., a long-term regular job, or large commercial investments he or she is more likely to flee back to his or her home country. Thus, these students would likely be considered a high “flight risk.” The anklet will be taken off when they appear in court. Ankle bracelets are also used in “high flight risk” cases as an alternative to jail. The technology is certainly more humane than spending time in jail waiting for a trial.”

Facts at Wikipedia – and a picture too.

According to Wikipedia, a widely respected source of information, “An ankle monitor (commonly called a tether) is a device that individuals under house arrest are often required to wear. At timed intervals, the ankle monitor sends a radio frequency signal containing location and other information to a receiver. If an offender moves outside of an allowed range, the police will be notified. Ankle monitors are designed to be tamper-resistant and can often alert police to tampering attempts.”

The lady in the picture could be a patient of a mental disease, victim of violence or a suspected or known criminal. But she seems to be having a good time at the beach.

Photograph Copyright: Monique [copied via wikipedia as per rules]

Response of the US Embassy in India:
When contacted by app2us.com, the spokesperson of the US Embassy at New Delhi responded with a link to a recent press release which reasonably answers all the questions we wanted to ask. According to the press release, “Some of those involved in the Tri-Valley investigation have been issued ankle monitors. Use of ankle monitors is widespread across the United States and standard procedure for a variety of investigations, and does not necessarily imply guilt or suspicion of criminal activity. An ankle monitor sends a radio frequency signal containing location and other information to a receiver. It allows for freedom of movement and is a positive alternative to confinement during a pending investigation.”
The full press release can be accessed here.
http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/pr013111e.html

It is worth noting that in an exclusive interview with app2us.com in 2010, the current US Ambassador Timothy Roemer had said, “Last year, we opened a new Consulate General in Hyderabad and are in the process of constructing a new consulate facility for Mumbai. We’ve also enhanced fraud prevention capabilities across India to protect applicants from unscrupulous touts and vendors.”
http://www.app2us.com/interviews/us-ambassador_timothy_roemer.htm

app2us.com analysis:
Out of 1500 students some 18 students were subjected to the ankle monitors (source: Consul General of India at San Francisco as quoted in TOI. [1]). Most people from any country or culture if given a choice between detention and ankle monitors would choose detention…oops, ankle monitors. That is what approximately 18 students did. Remaining approximately 1482 students were not subjected to the monitors.

In our opinion it is not a matter of national or Andhra pride. It is rather a matter of self-introspection and points to the importance of exercising great care in trying to study or work abroad. People need to think why the percentage of Indians at an allegedly sham university was 95%? What is the % of Indians at MIT or Stanford?

The US Embassy in India can only do so much. A high percentage of Tri Valley Students traveled to US on the visa and I-20 of reputable universities and transferred to Tri valley. Having experience with education system in the US, we can comment with reasonable confidence that when a student transfers from a good university to one like the Tri Valley her intentions cannot be purely academic in nature.

However the US authorities need to do more. In March 2010 an Indian student was killed in Oklahoma. When that happens, the news comments in India are full of mistrust towards US.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/indians-abroad/Hyderabad-student-shot-dead-in-US-store-robbery/articleshow/5713650.cms

No government can prevent random killings. What the US could have done in this case was to look at the news carefully. While it is not totally unexpected for a young man to get killed in any country, it is very less likely to get killed in Oklahoma when you are a full time international student in California, and you recently landed in USA and classes are in session and it is still your first semester. If the ICE, US Embassy and prospective students looked closely at the matter, Tri Valley case could have been stopped.

We believe Tri Valley is the tip of the iceberg. Such practices exist elsewhere. It is high time students stop wishing to go to US by any means to any university and try to earn money outside the university campus.

Ref: [1] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/news/Sham-university-US-indicates-it-may-reinstate-Indian-students-visas/articleshow/7435951.cms

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