Press Releases
Traffic Injury Research Foundation Releases Implementation Guidelines for Continuous Alcohol Monitoring Bracelets
December 18, 2007, Denver, CO – The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) has released comprehensive guidelines for criminal justice practitioners related to the implementation of one of the fastest growing trends in electronic offender monitoring: Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) bracelets.
Already in use in 44 states, CAM technology has monitored nearly 52,000 DUI, domestic violence and other alcohol-triggered offenders since its launch to the corrections market in April of 2003. TIRF, a research-based organization that focuses on reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries in North America, specializes in the development and implementation of effective programs and policies to improve road safety. The CAM Practitioner’s Guide is Part Two in a Three-Part Series of reports designed to assist agencies in streamlining the implementation of the technology into their offender management and supervision programs.
According to TIRF, their interest in CAM technology is its significant potential to facilitate the monitoring and management of DUI and other offenders who abuse alcohol. More than 17,000 people are killed each year in drunk driving crashes in the U.S., and 40 percent of violent offenders are drunk at the time of their offense. “Our goal is to work with practitioners to develop comprehensive practices that incorporate this technology into existing supervision strategies, so that its benefits can be wholly realized,” says Robyn Robertson, president and CEO of TIRF.
What is CAM?
CAM technology involves an ankle bracelet, worn 24 × 7, that actually samples an offender’s sweat, at least once each hour, 24 hours a day in order to measure for alcohol consumption. The technology is designed specifically for long-term monitoring of clients required to remain sober, either as part of a court order, a comprehensive offender management program or alcohol treatment guidelines. Denver-based Alcohol Monitoring Systems (AMS) manufactures and markets SCRAM® (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor), the only commercially-available CAM technology on the market today. According to AMS, measuring sweat-known as transdermal analysis-is the only type of system that allows subjects to be tested hourly without the need for home incarceration or agency supervision. “Alcohol is metabolized so rapidly in the body, that unless you can test at least once every two hours for alcohol consumption, you run the very real risk that you will miss most drinking events,” says Don White, vice president of Field Operations for AMS. The SCRAM System was the impetus for the TIRF project, and a number of courts and practitioners who have implemented the system into their offender management programs participated in the research study for TIRF.
The sweat-sniffing ankle bracelets gained international notoriety in 2007 after a number of high-profile Hollywood celebrities wore SCRAM bracelets as part of Los Angeles County’s sentencing guidelines for DUI offenders. While Hollywood gave SCRAM a reputation for being uncomfortable and clunky to wear, AMS says a new smaller, sleeker version of the bracelet will be available in February of 2008. The SCRAM System conducted more than 41 million alcohol tests on nearly 27,000 alcohol offenders in 2007 alone.
TIRF Guidelines
The CAM Practitioner’s Guide includes suggested guidelines and important considerations for each phase of an offender management program, including eligibility criteria, screening and assessment, intake procedures, monitoring and reporting, the length of the monitoring period and graduated responses to violations. According to Robertson, the guide was developed with input from criminal justice professionals and treatment professionals throughout the U.S. with experience using different technologies. “Criminal justice practitioners are ultimately responsible for supervising offenders using the technology. Their input is essential to the development of well-designed programs and policies,” says Robertson.
About the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF)
First established in 1964, TIRF is an internationally recognized road safety institute dedicated to identifying the causes of road crashes and developing programs and policies to help governments effectively address those causes. Areas of research, evaluation and policy development include driver licensing, motorcycle safety, driver education and training, alcohol and drug-impaired drivers,, elderly drivers and bicycle safety. TIRF has also received international acclaim for its work in the areas of young and novice drivers and for their work related to alcohol, drugs and traffic safety. A registered charity, TIRF receives support both in the form of grants and contracts, as well as sustaining donations to provide services for the public. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, TIRF employs 10 full-time staffers and researchers and is governed by a board of directors representing public and private sectors in both Canada and the United States.
About Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc.
Established in 1997, Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc. manufactures SCRAM®, the world’s only Continuous Alcohol Monitoring system, which uses non-invasive transdermal analysis to monitor alcohol consumption. SCRAM fully automates the alcohol testing and reporting process, providing courts and community corrections agencies with the ability to continuously monitor alcohol offenders, increase offender accountability and assess compliance with sentencing requirements and treatment guidelines. Since its launch to the marketplace in 2003, SCRAM has monitored nearly 53,000 offenders and is now in use in 44 states. Alcohol Monitoring Systems employs 86 people across the U.S. and is a privately-held company headquartered in Littleton, Colorado.
