Life with an ankle monitor on home confinement: Top 5 of my biggest complaints
As I have been writing, my ankle monitor started to vibrate and I called my monitoring folks, aka halfway house, to see what was wrong. I forgot to charge it. I’m sitting still next to my charger and lost in thought I forgot to plug the darn thing in. So I thought I would write a little piece about my ankle monitor while I sit here waiting for it to be good to go.
Life with an ankle monitor on home confinement is a bit interesting so here are my top 5 complaints:
1. Ankle monitors are ugly and bulky
Wearing this thing is like wearing a scarlet letter. You can’t wear a skirt or straight-leg pants or you will be advertising your troubles to the world around you. I struggle to believe they can’t make this thing a bit more discrete but this is what we are working with.
Just coming out of prison, you tend to feel defeated. I just assumed everyone knew all about me going to prison and I talked about it like it didn’t bother me. But it bothered me… and having this ankle monitor would further depress me some days. I must say I would take it any day over prison and I constantly had to remind myself of that on the bad days.
2. Ankle bracelets are UNCOMFORTABLE and inconvenient
Sleeping with this thing can take some getting used to. I have found that dangling my foot off the side of the bed has been the best way to find comfort. You also have to look out for corners or anything you might crash into with this giant box strapped to your ankle because running into something with it can make you see stars.
You have to charge your ankle monitor every day. People say you only need to do it for an hour but I have run out of charge with this method and found my leg vibrating. I hook it up to the charger until the light turns green and it takes way more than an hour. You aren’t supposed to, but I plug it in and go to bed. It does make for an interesting trip to the bathroom if you aren’t awake and don’t unplug…
Still better than prison.
3. Don’t forget to call and check-in
Even though your every move is monitored, you are still required to check in by phone three times a day. You have to check in by phone to the halfway house each shift from 6 am to 2 pm, 2 pm to 10 pm, and 10 pm to 6 am.
I can count on one hand how many times I have almost forgotten in the past 17 months I have been on home confinement. If you are dedicated to your freedom this is not that hard to remember because… It’s better than prison. But guess what? It’s still better than prison.
4. No random trips to the store or anywhere
This is hard and you have to be fairly organized. With dogs and kids, this can be tough. You are limited to one shopping trip a week so you better prepare and make sure you have what you need.
I am blessed with loved ones that help so in the 17 months on home confinement I can’t say that I have ever gone without but I have had to phone a friend/Dad for some dog food before.
When my large dogs are doing something dumb or get a little rough with each other I explain to them that we won’t be able to go to the vet on a whim so they better settle down. They totally understand because they have me home and not in prison.
5. Time constraints
When the time you have allotted for yourself to be somewhere is up, it’s time to go. I have felt like an asshole on many occasions because I have to just get up and go. When I am around new people, I give a little speech so they know what I am doing and know I am not just being rude.
As annoying as this is, it’s also kinda handy. My daughter loves it. I am pretty chatty so this is her card to play to leave and I have no fight. When this is over, I’m not sure what she will do to get me out the door. I am pretty sure she is just glad I am not in prison…
In conclusion, life on home confinement and ankle monitors is a lot to get used to. It is not normal to live like this and takes some adjustment. I will say it has helped my transition back into society. Life can swallow you whole so the rules and restrictions can kind of bring you some peace believe it or not. You can never be pulled in a million directions, you learn to live for yourself, and no one calls to ask for help because you simply can’t. Most importantly I would take this situation any day over prison.
