SCRAM is an alcohol monitoring program that is intended for the multiple DUI offender who would otherwise be facing mandatory incarceration. Instead of incarceration, some courts will allow the DUI offender to participate in an alternative sentencing program utilizing a monitoring device called SCRAM. SCRAM (Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor) is a device which is attached to the ankle and monitors blood alcohol levels by measuring ethanol vapor as it migrates through the surface of the skin.
Alcohol is eliminated from the body by two mechanisms: metabolism and excretion. Metabolism accounts for greater than 90% of ingested alcohol and occurs principally in the liver. The remaining 10% of ingested alcohol is excreted, unchanged, wherever water is removed from the body—breath, urine, perspiration, and saliva. The excreted alcohol is significant because it can be measured and correlated to a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC).
The SCRAM anklet has two components. The first is a sensor pack that measures the constant unnoticeable excretion of sweat through the skin. The other part contains electronics for tamper detection and system control as well as collecting, storing and wirelessly transferring data through a modem. The anklet is fitted with secure straps and alarms that detect any attempt to tamper with the device. The results are transmitted to a remote monitoring station.
Unlike conventional testing which tests the presence of alcohol only at the time of testing, the SCRAM anklet will test once every hour and store that information. But if the device detects alcohol, it will continually take continuous readings every half hour instead of every hour. Thus, there is no way to avoid detection.
