Libre by Nexus To Stop Using Body Affixed GPS Devices And Will Reapportion GPS Costs To Provide Free Healthcare To All Libre Clients
LIBRE'S INITIATIVE WILL FREE OVER 7,000 PEOPLE FROM ELECTRONIC TETHERS, REPRESENTING THE SINGLE LARGEST RELEASE EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING IN THE UNITED STATES.
VERONA, Va., June 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Libre by Nexus announced today the launch of an innovative mobile app that will revolutionize the way the company provides assistance and relief for its clients nationwide.
In May, Libre lost a valued member of its client community in Florida to COVID-19. Libre was not authorized to enter the hospital to remove the client's GPS device because of the pandemic.
Libre by Nexus originally planned to make the switch away from monitoring bracelets by the end of 2020, but after its client lost their battle with COVID-19 while still wearing its GPS bracelet, the company knew it had to expedite the process.
"I can't accept that our family member, someone we advocated for, died without their family and with a piece of plastic strapped to them," said Mike Donovan, Nexus President and CEO. "On that day, I decided we would immediately begin our transition fully away from body affixed GPS devices. The new app technology will hasten the complete and total removal of all body affixed GPS devices from Libre clients. The fact that we are reapportioning our budget for GPS devices to provide free healthcare for our participants is an incredible testament to the memory of our recently deceased client."
This month, over 7,000 program participants will have the opportunity to have their electronic monitors removed — marking the single largest known liberation event in the history of electronic monitoring in the United States. The monitoring devices will be replaced by a simple mobile phone app. The new app technology will allow Libre clients to access transportation or translation services at their fingertips. The app will even permit Libre clients to file requests for legal assistance and schedule free appointments with health care providers through telemedicine.
Libre by Nexus currently serves nearly 30,000 clients. The company's core function is to offer a host of services to the immigrant community that increase societal participation while reducing burdens to U.S. taxpayers, including helping release people from immigration custody and reunite with their families with the use of a monitoring program. Through the Libre by Nexus program, participants need not endure the unnecessary and painful separation from their children and loved ones while their case is before the Immigration courts.
Libre by Nexus will begin transitioning to this new system starting Tuesday, June 2, 2020. The company will begin to set up appointments for clients in all Libre offices to remove GPS bracelets. Clients are encouraged to call 1-877-718-3411 or to visit https://www.librebynexusapp.com/ to pre-register and schedule appointments for the removal of their tracking device. Clients who cannot visit an office can request a self-removal kit that will include the tool needed to safely remove their GPS device, an instructional video, new system enrollment information and a return envelope. Libre by Nexus' goal is that by July 4th, 2020, all current clients will be using the new mobile-based app rather than a GPS bracelet.
Libre by Nexus' success has been built on the compliance of the vast majority of our clients to the terms of their release conditions. Our success comes from advocating for our clients.
"I want to thank attorneys for our clients, and regulators from several states, for helping us critically analyze how we could speed up efforts to provide relief from body affixed GPS devices to our program participants. Bringing people back to full participation in society is the one way to cure behavioral problems or societal disconnectedness, not mass incarceration," Donovan said. "I hope the federal government and the individual states will likewise reduce reliance on electronic monitoring. Placing a tracking device on someone simply isn't effective in actually solving problems associated with immigrants in detention or pretrial criminal defendants in U.S. jails. These GPS devices are often unreliable and largely unhelpful in assuring compliance as compared to effective support and advocacy, which has always been the secret to Libre's success. Ending the use of body affixed GPS technology is a goal all governments should be committed to achieving."
Libre by Nexus is a leading provider of comprehensive and life-sustaining services to detained immigrants and their families. The organization funds legal services through NDH LLC., and the Caridades Immigrant Legal Defense Project, as a part of its corporate giving to increase access to justice for disadvantaged people across the United States. http://www.librebynexus.com/
SOURCE Libre by Nexus
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