NHTSA Launches Second Study of SCRAM Alcohol Anklets

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a larger initiative to investigate various approaches for reducing recidivism among convicted drinking drivers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a nationwide study focused on the impact of SCRAM alcohol anklets. The study, which is concentrating on jurisdictions with SCRAM caseloads of 1,000 or more offenders, is being conducted by Preusser Research Group, Inc. (PRG).

SCRAM (which stands for Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor) is an alcohol testing system that includes an anklet, worn 24/7, that samples an offender's perspiration every 30 minutes to ensure compliance with court- or agency-ordered sobriety. In 2010, Denver-based Alcohol Monitoring Systems (AMS), which manufactures and markets the system throughout North America, launched a new version of the system called SCRAMx, which incorporates home detention monitoring in the same bracelet. The NHTSA study is focusing exclusively on the alcohol monitoring program.

The PRG study, titled Evaluation of the SCRAM Device as a Tool in Monitoring Impaired Driving Offenders and Its Potential Effect in Reducing Recidivism, will compare recidivism rates for offenders sentenced to SCRAM monitoring as a condition of their sentence to offenders who do not participate in SCRAM monitoring. The goal is to evaluate if the enforced period of sobriety, which the 24/7 testing protocol ensures, has any impact on future rates of re-offense. PRG will also evaluate the types of conditions under which SCRAM is being used, how the monitoring is funded, how oversight is conducted and how data is used to determine the effectiveness of the device.

The PRG study is the second SCRAM-related study currently being conducted by NHTSA. In 2010 NHTSA commissioned an 18-month study to evaluate and document best-practice SCRAM programs in order to build SCRAM Case Studies for jurisdictions considering implementation of the technology. That study is being conducted by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE). NHTSA also did an early-phase evaluation of the SCRAM technology in 2004, aimed at determining the accuracy and reliability of the technology. "SCRAM has fast become institutionalized in many facets of the justice system," says Mike Iiams, chairman and CEO of AMS. "NHTSA's formal evaluation of both how the system is best applied and the long-term impact of 24/7 alcohol monitoring on offender behavior is a logical outgrowth of our rapid penetration in the market," he adds.

Since 2003 SCRAM has monitored 165,000 offenders in 48 states. Nearly 12,000 offenders are monitored daily.

About Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc.

Established in 1997, Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc. (AMS) is the world's largest provider of Continuous Alcohol Monitoring technology. AMS manufactures SCRAMx, which uses non-invasive transdermal analysis to monitor alcohol consumption and integrates home detention monitoring into a single anklet. SCRAMx fully automates the alcohol testing and reporting process, providing courts and community corrections agencies with the ability to continuously monitor alcohol offenders, increase offender accountability and assess compliance with sentencing requirements and treatment guidelines. AMS employs 126 people across the U.S. and is a privately-held company headquartered in Littleton, Colorado.

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SOURCE Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc.