Montana had one of the highest DUI fatality rates in the nation as of 2008. The state was devastated by stories of repeat offenders killing innocent children, officers and other drivers. Finally legislators knew they had to act. In March of 2010 the Montana Attorney General’s Office proposed the 24/7 Sobriety Program. The idea was simple: start with a pilot program in two counties, appropriately Lewis and Clark County. If the pilot was successful, take it to the Legislature and make it law.
The Greatest Success Story
The pilot program in Lewis and Clark County gave unprecedented results. According to the Montana Department of Justice the program saw 99% of the alcohol tests come back clean for DUI repeat-offenders. With proven results, the Attorney General’s Office took it to the Legislature. House Bill 106 was signed into law in May of 2011 making the Montana 24/7 Sobriety Program statewide. Montana continues to see success in the program with lower DUI fatalities, lower recidivism rates and an overwhelming 99.7% of the 115,000 tests administered coming back clean.
How it Works
The program requires repeat DUI offenders (those who have 2 or more drunk driving related offenses) to submit to twice-daily alcohol breath tests during pre-trial release or wear an alcohol monitoring device such as a SCRAM bracelet. The costs of monitoring are paid for by the offender keeping the cost to the taxpayer at next to nothing for the program.
Locating a Trusted SCRAM Provider
Diversified Monitoring and Recovery has been offering SCRAM services in California for over a decade. We are California’s original SCRAM provider and have been helping people fight drug and alcohol addiction in Orange County and throughout the State. If you or a loved one has been charged with an alcohol related offense or are seeking alcohol/drug monitoring call our offices today. We can help. Call 714-245-9910 to learn more about our services.