New tool to fight alcohol-fueled crimes

Prosecutors will be asking judges to order the use of a 24-hour alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet that would ensure a defendant is not violating terms of probation prohibiting alcohol use. The other option, in many instances, would be jail.

“Implementing this program will increase public safety, while holding individuals accountable for their behavior,” District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua said.

The device, called a Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor or SCRAM, is a small square electronic device attached to an ankle strap. Every 30 minutes it sends readings of any alcohol emitted from the wearer’s skin to a central site.

The anklet’s strap is similar in appearance to a sportswatch and the monitoring device is a small box.

Violators — pretrial defendants who have been released on conditions that include abstaining from alcohol, or who have been ordered to avoid alcohol as part of their conviction — are reported to the court for possible prosecution or additional treatment.

“Everyone who is on SCRAM should be in treatment,” said Linda Connelly, president and CEO of Leaders in Community Alternatives, the service provider. “It’s part of a comprehensive program.”

Defendants would bear the cost of the device and its management, which is about $12 a day. Those unable to pay the cost will receive assistance from the company that provides the device.

Leaders in Community Alternatives is a private company based in San Francisco. The 18-year-old company reported $3 million in sales each of the past three years.

The program will be administered through the local nonprofit California Human Development in Santa Rosa, which will communicate with the courts and Probation Department when there are suspected violations.

Initially the device will only be available to adult defendants, but the program could be extended to juvenile defendants and could include location monitoring and curfew alert systems, Passalacqua said.

Prosecutors see the device as a valuable tool to help prevent repeat offenses related to alcohol use, particularly drunken driving and domestic violence aggravated by alcohol. The device could also be used in other crimes, and even child custody and child visitation disputes, according to program coordinators.

“It’s an innovative solution to how we can address tragedies,” Passalacqua said.

Others, such as Sonoma County Public Defender John Abrahams, are withholding judgment until use of the device is fully implemented.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” he said, citing the costs for indigent clients and whether the device will stand up to legal challenges. Costs for 90 days of the device could reach $1,080, although program organizers say there may be a sliding scale for poor clients.

“I hope this isn’t meant to just catch someone, but to stop them from drinking,” Abrahams said. “Hopefully, that’s what this is about — not just punishing them.”

Use of the device in “highly emotional” situations like child custody and visitation should be limited, Abrahams said.

Company representatives and those in law enforcement tout the device as a scientifically proven, tamper-resistant, money-saving option that can actually encourage a defendant to remain clean where random testing doesn’t.

About 10,000 of the devices are currently in use nationwide, according to an Orange County Register story in June. Contra Costa County in the Bay Area is also using the system.

Deputy probation chief Sheralynn Freitas said the device has proven successful with alcohol abusers.

The device doesn’t actually prevent someone from drinking, but the psychological effect of having it on 24/7 — and the threat of it taking readings every half hour — may be enough to deter someone from taking that first sip, she said.

“Alcohol is probably the most challenging drug to measure and monitor,” she said. “When you think about all the pressures the offenders have to drink: peer pressure, their own addictions, whatever it is. When you know you’re being tested at every moment, there is great self-deterrent. A lot of people find it very successful for that reason.”

Presiding Judge Gary Nadler, who oversees the county’s DUI court, predicts the SCRAM device will prove valuable.

“So many crimes are alcohol-related, whether it’s criminal or family violence. It doesn’t have to be a straight DUI,” he said. “This is a tool that, one, reports to the court if someone violates the terms of probation and, two, gives (an offender) something on their body they know is there that might serve as deterrent.”