Eligibility for an alternative sentence, which requires the use of electronic monitoring, depends on the nature of the crime charged. Alternative sentencing is usually limited to low-risk offenders who did not commit: a serious crime, a violent crime, or multiple crimes. Eligibility is also limited to those who are not high-risk offenders that pose a threat to public safety or themselves. People can usually obtain electronic monitoring if they: get sentenced to county jail (as opposed to state prison), are nonviolent offenders, have a home in or near the county where they are sentenced, have a home telephone, and agree to adhere to all the rules of supervised electronic confinement.