Ankle bracelets that detect the presence of alcohol could be used

James Loewenstein ~ 10/06/2005 ~ Daily and Sunday Review

Towanda - The Bradford County Probation Department is recommending that the county begin using a type of ankle bracelet that detects whether an offender has consumed alcohol.

Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko said the use of the ankle bracelets would further reduce the overcrowding at the Bradford County jail. The bracelets would be used by non-violent offenders convicted of DUI, he said.

The ankle bracelets, which are called Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor (SCRAM), can be used as an alternative to incarceration, said Tom Schuster, chief probation officer for Bradford County.

"They can be used in conjunction with electronic monitoring," where an offender wears a separate type of ankle bracelet that ensures that he remains confined to his home, he said.

"The purpose of this (SCRAM ankle bracelets) is to attempt to get offenders to make a lifestyle change," Schuster said.
For example, a judge could order an offender with an alcohol abuse problem to wear an alcohol detection bracelet for 120 days, and attend alcohol counseling and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, he said. "If he could stay clean and sober for 120 days, maybe he'll stay clean and sober for the rest of his life," he said.

The ankle bracelets are manufactured by Alcohol Monitoring Systems Inc. of Highlands Ranch, Colo. Schuster said. At the request of Bradford County Judge Jeffrey Smith, a sub-contractor of Alcohol Monitoring Systems - Mid-Atlantic Monitoring of Scranton, Pa. - recently gave a demonstration of the SCRAM bracelets to Bradford County officials.
Offenders wear SCRAM ankle-bracelets 24 hours per day, Schuster said.

"Through the contact with the skin and perspiration, it is able to detect the presence of alcohol," he said.
The eight-ounce ankle bracelet automatically tests for the presence of alcohol in the perspiration at least once every hour, according to Alcohol Monitoring Systems' Web site.

Each day, the bracelet "downloads" the data on the amount of alcohol in the offenders' system by sending a radio signal to a modem, which is attached to the offenders' telephone, Schuster said.

The modem then transmits the data by a telephone line to a computer operated by Alcohol Monitoring Systems, or a subsidiary of the company, he said.

The Bradford County Probation Department would be notified by fax the next day if someone consumed alcohol while wearing the bracelet, he said.

Tampering with the bracelet, such a removing it or placing a substance between the skin and the bracelet, would also be detected by the SCRAM system, he said.

Currently, random alcohol tests for offenders on parole or probation often do not pick up on the use of alcohol, because it is flushed out of the system so quickly, he said.

Offenders would pay the cost of leasing the equipment and the cost of the monitoring, which would total $8 to $10 per day, he said.

The county would not be involved in paying for the use of the system, he said.

Mid-Atlantic Monitoring of Scranton, Pa., would bill the offenders directly for the costs, he said.

If an offender failed to pay the costs, Mid-Atlantic Monitoring would notify the county and the county would take appropriate action, he said.

The use of the SCRAM bracelets would need to be approved by the Bradford County Court judges and the county commissioners, he said.

Nancy Schrader, chairman of the Bradford County commissioners, said she was very interested in finding out more about the bracelets, and any costs the county would incur. She said she had not been at the demonstration of the ankle bracelets because she was on vacation. Attempts to reach Judge Jeffrey Smith for comment on Wednesday were unsuccessful.