A SCRAM ankle monitor is an alcohol detector in the form of an ankle bracelet. DUI offenders are required to wear one in order to monitor their blood alcohol concentration. SCRAM is an acronym that stands for “Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor.” These devices are also known as Continuous Alcohol Monitoring bracelets (CAM).
At Simmrin Law Group, we’ve helped clients in more than 100 jury trials and successfully fought criminal charges against our clients. Our Los Angeles DUI lawyers explain more about what a SCRAM ankle monitor is and what to expect when you wear one.
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 people do not consume alcohol is to have them wear an ankle monitor.
The bracelets can also be used as a pretrial condition of probation that determines someone’s release from jail. Often, an ankle monitor is ordered in addition to other measures such as ignition interlock devices.
The ankle monitor will alert your probation officer if you were to consume alcohol. By doing so, you 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 monitor tests the wearer’s sweat every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, for the presence of alcohol. 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, or not profusely sweating.
SCRAM Systems is the company that builds these devices. It has a database that analyzes alcohol consumption alerts. Once the offender drinks alcohol, an alert is sent to this database, and a trained analyst investigates it further to determine if probation officers need to be notified.
How Much Does a SCRAM Bracelet Cost?
Ankle monitors can be quite expensive. There is an installation fee and a daily monitoring cost.
The installation fee can range from $50 to $100. The daily monitoring fee can range from $10 to $15. The monthly cost of wearing 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.
What Happens if You Take Off the Ankle Monitor?
Wearing the ankle monitor 24/7 can become quite uncomfortable, and you may want to take it off. However, you are not allowed 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 SCRAM Systems 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 amount of time you have to wear the ankle monitor 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. 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 an Alcohol Monitor Bracelet?
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 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 pointless 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 a drink is not worth it.
How Accurate Is the Alcohol Bracelet?
The SCRAM ankle monitor is typically accurate, but there are times when the bracelets give false readings. There are more issues with false negatives than false positives, so you do not have to worry about getting in trouble with your probation officers for alcohol consumption when you are not actually drinking.
A false negative, or when the device fails to detect actual alcohol consumption, still rarely occurs. Products that contain alcohol, like perfume, lotions, mouthwash, and hand sanitizer, could potentially set off the monitor.
How Can a DUI Lawyer Help You If You’re Accused of a SCRAM Monitor Violation?
If you receive a violation notification from your supervising agency for a potential SCRAM monitor infraction, a skilled DUI attorney can provide valuable assistance. Some ways a lawyer from Simmrin Law Group may be able to help include:
- Reviewing the violation documentation for any potential issues or defects that could invalidate or reduce the claim
- Investigating alternative scientific explanations for readings that were flagged as non-compliant
- Arranging an independent analysis of stored sample data by a calibrated forensic laboratory if the initial findings are contested.
Can You Still Live a Normal Life with an Alcohol Monitor 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 and family. You are just not allowed to drink alcohol.
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.
How to Do Everyday Tasks When Wearing a SCRAM Ankle Monitor
Even though you can still live a normal life, there are some tasks you have to modify due to your SCRAM bracelet. According to SCRAM Systems, you’ll have to take extra care when doing everyday tasks. Some of the modifications you’ll have to make include:
- Only use alcohol-free soap and water to clean around the bracelet
- Only take showers to bathe yourself, as getting the bracelet wet can appear as an attempt to destroy the device
- Thoroughly clean under and around the SCRAM ankle monitor
- Dry underneath the bracelet after showering
Learn More About How a SCRAM Ankle Monitor Works
At Simmrin Law Group, our team of Los Angeles DUI lawyers can help you if you’ve been ordered to wear a SCRAM bracelet. We can answer any questions our clients have and even defend against any allegations of violations.
Contact us today to learn more about how a SCRAM ankle monitor works.
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