PHOENIX (AP) – Arizona is trying to catch up to 10 states with laws allowing electronic monitoring and other technology aimed at deterring abuse of vulnerable people at long-term care facilities, following the rape of an incapacitated Phoenix woman who later gave birth.
Cameras are most commonly used, but they pose privacy issues, and advocates and experts disagree about their effectiveness.
Some say video surveillance can help in criminal cases but may not stop attacks, while others have seen improvements and urge any effort to safeguard those who are aging, sick, disabled or otherwise unable to protect themselves.
The Arizona Legislature is considering a measure that would let certain facilities install video surveillance in common areas. The providers would have to detail how to avoid privacy violations.
The state would join Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington with laws or regulations allowing surveillance equipment inside nursing homes, assisted living centers and other group residential settings.