Bracelets test for alcohol

HAMLIN, W.Va. -- New technology allows Lincoln County to force continual alcohol tests upon those serving home confinement and probation.

Secure Continuous Alcohol Monitoring, known by the acronym SCRAM, uses ankle bracelets to test offenders for alcohol consumption every 30 minutes. Each offender wears two bracelets. One tests sobriety, while the other keeps the person at home. One drink can violate an offender's release.

Lincoln County Chief Probation Officer Jerry L. Swanson said alcohol contributes to many of his county's home confinement and probation violations. In fact, he believes alcohol contributes to more crime than any other drug.

"If we can get people to stop drinking, whether on probation or home confinement, then they're not going to jail," he said. "We all know is that when you drink, it lowers your inhibitions and you tend to do things you shouldn't do, such as domestic violence, drinking and driving and other crimes."

Swanson claims his program is the first to use the technology in southern West Virginia. The service required a county investment of $20,000.

Three officials in Cabell County whose programs provide alternatives to incarceration have passed on the SCRAM bracelets. Each complimented the technology, but said alcohol cases represent a minority of their caseload, therefore they cannot justify the costs.

"Most of the cases we usually see are a drug component as opposed to the alcohol," said Christopher Dean, director of the Western Regional Day Report Center. It serves Cabell and Wayne counties.

The other Cabell County officials interviewed were Chief Probation Officer Jonny Winkler and Alternative Sentencing Director Oscar Adkins. Winkler said his alcohol-related caseload is impacted by state law, which prohibits drunken drivers from receiving probation. Adkins said his home confinement officers subject offenders to alcohol-breath tests during daily checks, along with unscheduled drug abuse screens.

Dean said the typical drug test used in Cabell County looks for alcohol, but Swanson said alcohol's quick metabolizing rate leaves a gap filled by SCRAM. Swanson explained most drugs remain detectable in the body for one to 14 days. Alcohol disappears much quicker, making it much more difficult for a typical test to detect.

The SCRAM bracelets test perspiration as it evaporates from the skin. Swanson said that doesn't provide an opportunity to drink without being tested shortly afterward.

While the tests are immediate, the results are not. Swanson admits his program downloads test results once a day. That could be many hours after the person drinks, but Swanson said all is not lost. He contends presence of the bracelet deters the activity because the offender will fear punishment from getting caught.

Punishment for a positive alcohol test could range from reinstitution of a prison sentence to a second chance at probation.

Swanson said Lincoln County will offer the service to neighboring counties when the technology benefits a particular offender, such as one candidate being considered by Winkler.

It is part of a regionalized approach to sharing technology for home incarceration. Lincoln County can share its SCRAM bracelets, while Cabell County shares its GPS technology, which tracks an offender's every move. The GPS technology is a step up from typical bracelets, which alert authorities only when the offender leaves his or her residence.

As of Thursday, Lincoln County had approximately 25 offenders on home confinement. Only two of those were wearing the additional SCRAM bracelet.

Home confinement with SCRAM technology costs the offender $22 each day -- $11 for each bracelet.

The test results are downloaded in Lincoln County and SCRAM headquarters in Colorado.

Officials statewide utilize home confinement as a way to reduce jail and prison costs.

Photo courtesy of SCRAM

Secure Continuous Alcohol Monitoring, known by the acronym SCRAM, uses ankle bracelets to test home confinement offenders for alcohol consumption every 30 minutes. Some of the bracelets were recently purchased for the Lincoln County home confinement system.