Over 1600 jurisdictions now use the SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring Bracelet. The device monitors participants 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during a specified compliance period. Many jurisdictions have opted to use the alcohol monitoring device as an alternative to a long jail term sentence for repeat drunk driving offenders. This has helped to save taxpayers thousands of dollars that would have been spent on incarceration for these individuals. Boone County estimated that the equivalent cost for 32 offenders to be in jail would have been $180,000 out of pocket for taxpayers. The SCRAM cost is often absorbed by the participant or through state and federal grants focused on reducing drunk driving recidivism.
Many jurisdictions have seen success through collaborative court programs that use the alcohol monitoring component to help individuals stay sober and maintain sobriety after the initial compliance period. By not having to maintain these individuals in jail, counties are saving thousands of dollars while helping them change their life. Participants are able to keep their jobs, which often would have been lost if they had to complete a long jail sentence. They are remaining contributive members of society while focusing on sobriety. The bracelet holds offenders accountable. There is no way around the alcohol testing. It is completed every 30 minutes and can distinguish between alcohol that is consumed and an outside source. Attempts to tamper with the bracelet are evident and immediately reported. The success rate is staggering at over 98%. It is really incredible to see the way that alcohol monitoring through devices like the SCRAM bracelet can truly change lives.