One new technology that is seeing rapid adoption in courts across the country is known as Continuous Alcohol Monitoring, an ankle bracelet/modem system, similar to a home arrest system, which samples a drinker's sweat every hour in order to measure for alcohol consumption. While critics argue that it doesn't stop a drunk driver at the point of offense, many courts think the technology, when applied to the repeat offender, is having a big impact on managing, assessing and deterring repeat offenders -- which accounts for more than 40% of those sentenced each year for a DUI.
According to Denver-based Alcohol Monitoring Systems (AMS), which manufactures and markets a continuous monitoring system called SCRAM (Secure Remote Alcohol Monitor), more than 22,000 offenders in 37 states have been monitored by the technology in the last three years, making it one of the fastest growing technologies in the corrections industry.
"Local enforcement programs are certainly essential," said Vickers Cunningham, a former Texas State District Court Judge from Dallas County. "But until we get to the core of the repeat offender problem ... we aren't going to make a dent in the numbers." Cunningham was a frequent user of SCRAM technology to manage DUI offenders. "In my 11 years on the bench, this technology was the most effective criminal justice tool I ever used."
According to AMS Chairman and CEO Mike Iiams, state legislators have also begun to recognize the need for new technologies to fight the DUI epidemic. States including California, Ohio, Delaware, Nebraska and New York have all incorporated language into DUI legislation that supports adoption of Continuous Alcohol Monitoring or earmarks funding to launch these programs. "By monitoring ... consumption, courts can hold offenders accountable and intervene quickly when they're not compliant," Iiams said. "If they're not drinking, they're not drinking and driving. It's that simple."
