Emergency Commission Approves Funding to Expand GPS Monitoring to All North Dakota Transitional Facility Residents

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(KNOX) – The North Dakota Emergency Commission, chaired by Gov. Kelly Armstrong, unanimously approved funding to expand the use of GPS monitoring bracelets to all residents of transitional facilities to enable real-time supervision and enhance public safety.

The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR) requested $105,000 to support the change for the remainder of the biennium ending June 30, 2027.

The DOCR already implemented GPS monitoring in October 2025 for approximately 300 individuals on inmate status at transitional facilities, addressing lawmakers’ concerns about supervision, accountability and community safety. The cost of that change was $568,000, which was absorbed within the DOCR’s existing budget authority.

With the contingency funds approved today, the DOCR will also require GPS monitoring of individuals placed in transitional facilities by external authorities, including courts and the parole board, where the DOCR remains responsible for their supervision and public safety. That includes those on work release. The DOCR estimates an average of 122 individuals from probation and parole placements will need GPS monitoring.