Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a new report, Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring: Case Studies, which takes an in-depth look at the state of high-tech alcohol monitoring for drunk drivers.
The study is the second of three conducted by the agency, as part of their Impaired Driving program, that focuses specifically on transdermal testing, a form of alcohol testing introduced to the criminal justice system in 2003. Transdermal testing involves an ankle bracelet, worn 24/7, that actually samples a subject’s insensible perspiration every 30 minutes to measure for alcohol consumption.
This latest study, commissioned in 2010, takes an in-depth look at six jurisdictions in the U.S. that are using transdermal alcohol monitors–and specifically SCRAM CAM monitors–to manage and monitor drunk drivers and other alcohol-involved offenders. The jurisdictions in the study are:
- The City and County of Denver Electronic Monitoring Program
- The 23rd Judicial Circuit of Jefferson County, Missouri
- The Nebraska Supreme Court Office of Probation Administration
- The New York 8th Judicial District Hybrid DWI Court
- The North Dakota Attorney General 24/7 Sobriety Program
- Wisconsin Community Services (a 501 (c)3 nonprofit that manages SCRAMx programs in Waukesha, Kenosha, Sheboygan, Milwaukee, Jefferson, and Ozaukee counties)
The Transdermal Alcohol Monitoring Case Studies are intended to look at the detailed elements of each program and provide agencies considering adding transdermal alcohol monitoring a perspective on how to implement the technology. The programs studied were all SCRAMx programs, since SCRAMx represents the vast majority of transdermal alcohol monitors currently assigned to monitor offenders daily throughout the U.S.
NHTSA concluded that transdermal alcohol monitors are prevalent, beneficial to courts and agencies, serve as a strong deterrent to drinking, and are more effective than prior monitoring techniques, which were reported by agencies as inadequate.
In mid-2013 NHTSA is slated to release the third in their series of SCRAMx studies, which will look specifically at recidivism rates for offenders who have worn SCRAMx bracelets in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.
