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New alcohol-detecting ankle bracelet
Luzerne County will soon begin outfitting repeat drunken driving offenders with an ankle bracelet that detects alcohol in perspiration.The 8-ounce device samples the wearer's perspiration at least every hour and collects, stores and sends data to a monitoring agency. It also detects and reports attempts to tamper with the device, such as trying to insert something to block the sweat. The device, Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor, or SCRAM, will start being used in a week or two, county Probation Services Director Paul McGarry said. Approximately 280 courts and agencies in 30 states currently use the bracelets, which have been manufactured since 2003 by Colorado-based Alcohol Monitoring Systems Inc., company spokeswoman Kathleen Brown said. Judges typically order repeat DUI offenders to not drink alcohol. Offenders wearing the bracelets won't have to be held in county prison, so the devices will save the county money, McGarry said. Luzerne County plans to use 25 to 30 of the ankle monitors as a condition for offenders to remain on bond or probation, she said. Few people are aware that probation isn't a choice, that is, an alcoholic could not opt to remain in jail rather than be on probation with such a device on him. In essense, it turns his disease into a crime, and being an addict into guaranteed extra punishment beyond his other crime. Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-07-31 |
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