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OFFICE OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY
LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS
MICHAEL G. NERHEIM
STATE'S ATTORNEY
April 5, 2018
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Cynthia Vargas
(847) 377-3188
cvargas@lakecountyil.gov
SCRAM Systems Media Contact:
Alison Betts
(303) 785-7796
abetts@scramsystems.com
www.scramsystems.com
New Lake County
Program Takes High-Tech Approach to Fight Repeat Drunk Driving
Alcohol-sensing anklets address DUIs and alcohol-fueled
crime
April 5, 2018, Waukegan, IL –
With nearly 1,800
DUI arrests in 2016 Lake County has the fourth highest rate of drunk
driving in Illinois, and high-risk DUI offenders—those who repeatedly drive
drunk or are most likely to cause a serious crash—account for up to a third of
those arrests. Now, to improve public safety and reduce repeat offenses, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s
Office has launched a new program that will monitor these high-risk
offenders around the clock to ensure they aren’t drinking.
As a condition of bond, drunk driving offenders who cause a crash with serious
injuries, those with multiple DUIs and those who are arrested with a high BAC
will be required to stay sober and wear a high-tech anklet that monitors them for drinking 24/7. Post-conviction,
these offenders can be sentenced to monitored sobriety for up to 180 days. The
program is also set up to address other offenses, like domestic violence and
assault, where alcohol played a contributing role.
The goal of the
program is to reduce the number of offenders who are putting the
community at risk by committing alcohol-involved crimes. Offenders are
responsible for the costs of their monitoring, which allows them to maintain
their employment and family commitments while ensuring they aren’t drinking and
endangering the public.
According
to Michael G. Nerheim, Lake County State’s Attorney, “When we separate
these offenders from alcohol, we know they aren’t going to be out drinking and
driving or committing other alcohol-involved crimes. We are targeting the root
cause of these problems, saving taxpayers’ money and giving these offenders the
chance to get sober and get their lives back on track.”
Known as SCRAM
Continuous Alcohol Monitoring, or SCRAM CAM, the anklet automatically tests
the wearer’s perspiration every 30 minutes for alcohol consumption. The
technology has been used to monitor 620,000 high-risk DUI offenders around the
country and more than 12,500 people in Illinois.
“Alcohol monitoring, especially when it’s part of a larger program of
supervision and treatment, can support long-term behavior change, making it
less likely these individuals will be back here for another offense in the
future,” notes State’s Attorney Nerheim.
About the Lake County
State’s Attorney’s Office
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office is dedicated
to the following principles: to seek justice with integrity by vigorously and
ethically prosecuting criminal acts, with empathy and compassion for the
victims of crime and unwavering respect for the rights of the accused; to
protect the people of Lake County by working with our criminal justice partners
to make our communities safe; and to provide exceptional and professional legal
representation to Lake County and its elected and appointed officials, thereby
promoting responsible and trustworthy government.
Lake County State’s Attorney’s
Office Media Contact:
Cynthia Vargas, Communications Manager
Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office
(847) 377-3188
cvargas@lakecountyil.gov
https://www.lakecountyil.gov/513/States-Attorneys-Office
About SCRAM Systems
SCRAM Systems is the world’s leading provider of alcohol
testing technologies for the criminal justice industry. The company’s flagship
Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (CAM) technology,
launched in 2003, revolutionized the way courts, agencies and treatment
providers monitor and manage alcohol-involved offenders. In 2013 the company
launched a full suite of electronic monitoring technologies, which includes SCRAM Remote Breath®, SCRAM GPS® and SCRAM House Arrest®. SCRAM
Systems employs 250 people worldwide and is a privately-held company
headquartered in Littleton, Colorado.
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Lake County State's Attorney's Office 18 N. County Street Waukegan, IL 60085 Phone: (847) 377-3000
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