Understanding Continuous Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring
In December 2007, the Traffic Injury Research Foundation published “Continuous Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring: A Premier for Criminal Justice Professionals.” The primer explained how revolutionary technology was being used to help courts verify and hold individuals accountable to alcohol abstinence orders. The technology was relatively new at the time, although it had been in use by some jurisdictions, and the science behind the technology had been studied for over a decade.
As noted in the primer, the SCRAM devices were found by probation and correction officers to be a “valid and reliable way of testing for alcohol consumption and is a “fast-acting deterrent.” Since 2007, the use of SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring devices has sky-rocketed.
To date, according to SCRAM systems, there have been over 800,000 clients monitored with a continuous alcohol monitoring device and over 3 billion alcohol tests performed. The device tests for alcohol consumption automatically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The device is tamper-resistant and water-resistant, making it durable and difficult to alter test results.
Over the past 14 years, the technology has only gotten better and more accessible. With the SCRAM wireless base station, clients are able to connect through ethernet, Wi-Fi, cellular, or a traditional landline. With the SCRAM CAM device, courts see higher compliance rates and less recidivism with alcohol-related crimes. Many people point to the fact that the device allows for continuous monitoring with the ability to swiftly act for non-compliance.
In jurisdictions throughout the U.S. and abroad, courts have allowed the use of SCRAM CAM devices as a condition of pre-trial release and as a requirement of sentencing. The device touts 99.2% sober days, with participants spending an average of 105 days being monitored.