Texas Leads the Way in the High Tech Campaign Against Drunk Driving

In a recent report published by the PEW Center entitled, "One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008", Texas was recognized as a forerunner in the integration of new criminal justice practices. Most notably, the state was identified as the largest user of a high-tech, alternative sentencing program known as Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) Programs. The CAM Program focuses on providing a solution to the root cause of the DUI epidemic, alcohol addiction.

The CAM Program relies on a high-tech anklet which is worn continuously by the DUI offender. The anklet tests the offender's sweat every thirty minutes for any traces of alcohol in the individual's system. This anklet, also known as a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor (SCRAM), completely automates the alcohol testing and reporting process, providing local courts and corrections agencies with the ability to monitor the alcohol content in a DUI offenders' body continuously and efficiently. The average cost of the SCRAM system is $12 per day, the costs of which are largely covered by the offender. Comparably, it costs the state and local taxpayers approximately $44 a day to house these high-risk, multiple DUI offenders in jail.

Currently, seventy one of Texas's two hundred and fifty four counties have access to the in-demand technology and reports indicate that the SCRAM system is currently monitoring 1,300 DUI offenders in the state of Texas alone. The state of Michigan monitors the second largest daily number of SCRAM clients, totaling nine hundred offenders statewide.

Texas corrections officials stated that the main objective of the CAM program is to target high-risk, repeat DUI offenders who have a drinking problem. Mike Iiams, Chairman and CEO of Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc. explained, "These individuals aren't driving drunk over and over because they want to break the law, they're driving drunk because they have a drinking problem, and when they drink, bad things happen...This isn't just a criminal issue, and it's not an automobile issue. This is an addiction issue." By monitoring alcohol intake of high risk individuals on a daily basis, the courts and local law enforcement are constantly aware of any alcohol violations made by the offender which could possibly lead to another drunk driving offense.

Furthermore, statistics indicate that SCRAM monitoring not only aids in the monitoring of repeat offenders, but also has a significant, life-changing impact on the lives of the offenders. According to retired Texas District Court Judge Vickers Cunningham, "It's easy to lock people up and throw away the key. But all you have to do is look at the repeat offender statistics to know that just wasn't working. What I quickly began to find with alcohol-addicted offenders is that, when you effectively remove alcohol from the equation 24/7, they begin to become productive members of the community. They pay taxes, they work, and they support their families. It changes lives."

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