Santa Clara County approves ‘more functional, less invasive’ house arrest monitors

Santa Clara County courthouses are trading in ankle monitors for less conspicuous surveillance of people who are on probation or awaiting trial.

County judges in the coming weeks can instead monitor people through wristwatch trackers or specialized mobile phones with limited functionality, after the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday last week approved a $3 million contract with surveillance tech company BI Inc. for what they described as more humane and less stigmatized ways of keeping tabs on people in home detention or under court orders. County officials said the new measures are cheaper and can help limit the jail population.