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Today’s Media FAQ

Why Does SCRAMx Have to Provide Court Support?

AMS has a formal Court Support Program that provides expert testimony in probation revocation and evidentiary hearings. These court challenges take place nearly every week and are a part of the due process afforded to every defendant. Expert testimony by witnesses who have been found by the courts to be reliable in the science and technology of SCRAMx is a necessary program for any alcohol testing technology that is going to be used in the criminal justice system.

Evidentiary Hearings focus specifically on the validity of scientific evidence and employ stringent standards of admissibility that any evidence is required to meet. These hearings employ three standards of admissibility, depending on the standards adopted by the state, including the Daubert Standard, the Frye Standard and FRE (Federal Rules of Evidence) 702/703. These are designed specifically to ensure that defendants are protected from sanctions or prosecution based on “junk science” or unproven technologies.

SCRAMx has participated in Evidentiary Hearings and been found valid and reliable by these standards in 22 states. SCRAMx has also been found valid and reliable in appellate level rulings by both the South Dakota Supreme Court and by the appellate court of the State of Indiana.

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