A scram ankle monitor is an alcohol detector that is in the form of an ankle bracelet. It is worn by DUI offenders in order to monitor their blood alcohol concentration. Scram is actually an acronym, and it stands for “Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor.”
These devices are also known as CAM bracelets (Continuous Alcohol Monitoring).
Why Would Someone Wear a Scram Ankle Monitor?
DUI offenders, especially second-time and third-time offenders, are usually ordered by a court of law to avoid alcohol consumption as a penalty for their DUI arrest. The best way to ensure that they do not consume alcohol is to have them wear this monitor. The scram bracelets can also be used as a pretrial condition of release from jail.
The scram ankle monitor will alert the offender’s probation officers if he or she were to consume alcohol. The offender can risk further penalties like more jail time, bigger fines, and prolonged probation for drinking alcohol. Having to attend a DUI school is usually another punishment, along with court-ordered sobriety.
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How Does a Scram Ankle Monitor Work?
Most people wonder how an ankle monitor can detect if someone has been drinking alcohol or not. Blowing into a breathalyzer is not the only way to measure a person’s blood alcohol concentration.
The scram ankle monitor tests the wearer’s sweat every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, for alcohol consumption. This skin-level measurement is known as the “transdermal” alcohol concentration. It will conduct tests when the wearer is sleeping, at work, out with friends, and when they are not exactly profusely sweating.
Alcohol Monitoring Sytems, Inc is the company that builds these devices. They have a whole database analyzing alcohol consumption alerts. Once the offender drinks alcohol, an alert will be sent over to this database, and a trained analyst will investigate it further in order to determine if probation officers need to be notified of the alert.
How Much Does a Scram Bracelet Cost?
Scram ankle monitors can be quite expensive. This is because there is both an installation fee and a daily monitoring cost.
The cost of installation fee can range from $50 to $100. The cost of the daily monitoring fees can range from $10 to $15. The monthly cost of having to wear a scram bracelet can run up to $300.
You might not worry or care about the costs at first because you assume that you are not paying for the monitor. However, courts usually order the defendants to pay for both the installation fee and the daily monitoring costs. This is because it is part of your penalty for your DUI conviction.
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What Happens if You Take Off the Scram Ankle Monitor?
Wearing the ankle monitor 24/7 can become quite uncomfortable, and you may want to take it off. It is imperative to know that you are not permitted to remove the scram bracelet until the court-ordered sobriety period is over. Taking the ankle monitor off will result in the regional monitoring center for Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc being alerted immediately. For this probation violation, you can be punished with either harsh sentencing or longer probation.
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How Long Do You Have to Wear the Scram Ankle Monitor?
The answer to this question solely relies upon the facts surrounding your conviction. When the judge orders mandatory sobriety from DUI offenders for their probation, it comes with a sanctioned period of time. You will not have to wear the scram monitor forever, but it could be a month to a year or even longer than a year.
Can You Trick a Scram Bracelet?
According to Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc, these devices are extremely difficult to outsmart because of their brilliant design. The scram ankle monitors will send an alert to the service provider when there are any attempts of either tampering with the device or just flat-out trying to destroy it. Some of the most common ways the wearers use to try and fool the monitor include:
- Obstructing the skin censor so it cannot read the transdermal alcohol consumption
- Pouring alcohol directly on top of the device to mask alcohol consumption
- Trying to break the bracelet by getting it wet
- Trying to break the bracelet by simply taking a hammer to it
Any effort to trick or break the device is futile because it either will not work or the service provider will be notified which means your probation officer will be notified. Unless you want stricter punishments like a longer probation period, we suggest you do not mess with your ankle monitor. Trying to scam the scram bracelet for an alcoholic drink is not worth it.
How Accurate Is a Scram Bracelet?
The scram ankle monitor is typically accurate, but there are times when the bracelets give false readings. There tend to be more issues with false negatives than false positives. This means that you do not have to worry about getting in trouble with your probation officers for alcohol consumption when you were not actually drinking.
A false negative, or when the device fails to detect actual alcohol consumption, still rarely occurs. Products that contain levels of alcohol, like perfume, lotions, mouthwash, and hand sanitizer, could potentially set off the monitor. This is nothing to worry about because it is still highly unlikely that this will occur.
Can You Still Live a Normal Life with a Scram Bracelet?
Just because you have an alcohol consumption monitor around your ankle does not mean you cannot live your life. You are still allowed to go to work, travel to the gym, run errands, and even go out to a bar with your friends/family. You are simply not allowed to drink alcohol, as it would be a violation of your court-ordered probation.
This does change if you are wearing the scram bracelet as a pretrial condition of being released from jail. Since you are waiting for a verdict on your case, then you will be limited to what you are and are not allowed to do based on other parameters of your release.
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