Pend Oreille County in Northeastern Washington is a small area populated by around 13,000 residents. Many of the residents work in the timber or mining industries and live in rural areas. Despite its size, Pend Oreille County Probation Department can carry a very heavy caseload of 400 to 800 cases. The majority of these cases are alcohol-related, estimated at around 75% of the total caseload. The Pend Oreille County Probation Department was faced with a problem common to departments across the United States, an overburdened system without adequate funding. They were tasked with monitoring a large number alcohol-related cases on a small budget. Their solution was SCRAM or Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring.
The SCRAM CAM bracelet allows the Pend Oreille County Probation Department to monitor participants on a small budget. The cost is significantly less than keeping the person in jail. Pend Oreille County requires those arrested for a 2nd or subsequent DUI to be monitored through a SCRAM CAM device while they await trial. Failure to comply with the 24/7 sobriety can result with them being immediately incarcerated. The probation department reports one of the highest success rates in the country with 99.8% Sober Days according to SCRAM Systems