Cost savings, risk reduction, and behavior change are three of the key benefits at the core of a series of recently-passed Resolutions from leading national organizations.
A number of groups have taken the step to formalize their support for alcohol monitoring technologies, and specifically transdermal or Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM), as an effective tool to supervise alcohol-dependent criminal offenders. In the past few months, prominent groups such as the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA) have released formal Resolutions that recognize CAM as a reliable resource to help offenders manage their sobriety, a frequent condition of parole or probation, or for participation in DWI or drug court programs.
Along with the APPA, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), which formally recognized CAM as a viable alternative in 2010, also agrees that an offender’s compliance with orders to abstain from drinking plays a crucial part in ensuring public safety. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently reported that there were 924,910 DUI arrests made in 2011 in the U.S., and with over 10,000 people a year being killed in alcohol-related crashes, CAM is a dependable technology that can help the criminal justice system achieve long-term risk reduction.
Additionally, many counties in the U.S. are facing issues of jail overcrowding. In July, the National Association of Counties (NACo) recognized transdermal alcohol monitoring, in conjunction with house arrest, as a valid alternative to incarceration that also reduces the costs associated with housing pre-trial defendants. Offenders are able to seek treatment while awaiting trial, and are able to remain with their families and at their places of work.
