• As an alternative to incarceration, Washington law allows the King County courts to impose electronic home detention (EHD) for a certain class of offenses and qualifying defendants. In addition to relieving overcrowded jails, EHD is considered an effective means to save taxpayers money while sparing defendants who pose a minimal risk the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves without suffering the harsh realities of jail.
  
  

Who Qualifies

• Under the law, EHD is available to anyone convicted of a crime except a conviction for certain serious offenses including: violent crimes (robbery or assault in the second degree); sex crimes (rape) or a drug crime (possession). Additionally, you may not be able to get EHD for certain crimes if you had a prior escape offense.
  
  

Minimum Requirements

• In order to have EHD, the law requires that you either: (1) have or are in the process of getting current and steady employment; (2) are responsible for and taking care of minor children or; (3) are regularly attending school according to a set schedule. Failure to maintain any of these provisions will result in a court review of your EHD sentence and possible conversion to standard jail time.
  
  

Abiding by the Conditions of EHD

• Every sentence of EHD includes certain standard conditions that must be abided by. These conditions include being at the stated location of detention unless excused by the court or your EHD supervisor, not removing or damaging your EHD monitoring device, not taking part in any criminal activities and not consuming alcohol or drugs while on EHD. Under the law, judges have discretion to amend the standard conditions as they see fit. A violation of a condition is grounds for a revocation of your EHD and/or the filing of new charges against you.
  
  

Financial Obligations

• In addition to abiding by the terms your home detention, the law requires that you are responsible for all financial obligations of maintaining your EHD. This generally includes the costs of the EHD machine ($15 per day with a $25 set-up fee) and any other tests such as breath/blood alcohol content (BAC) you may be subject to in order to confirm your compliance with EHD.