How bracelets keep suspects from drinking

An alcohol-sniffing ankle bracelet has been seeing increased use in Kane County, where prosecutors say it's helping to prevent accused drunken drivers from ending up back in court.

Since April, 136 defendants have been outfitted with the Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor, and Kane County has become a statewide leader in using the device, State's Attorney John Barsanti said.

The bracelets are more reliable than random urinalysis tests at keeping drunken drivers from drinking while their cases wind through the courts, especially people who need treatment for alcohol abuse, Barsanti said.

"You get your second DUI, you have a serious drinking problem that I think needs to be curtailed," Barsanti said. "The SCRAM has helped with that."

Kane County had 77 misdemeanor drunken driving trials last year, an increase from 34 in 2006, state's attorney's records show. Despite the increase, the number of DUI cases has held steady for roughly two years.

There were 2,124 misdemeanor DUI cases filed in 2007, a slight boost from the 2,069 in 2006. In 2005, there were 1,856 similar cases, records show.

While Barsanti said his office is still crunching the DUI numbers, defense attorneys say the increase in trials -- most are decided by a judge, not a jury -- are due in part to harsher penalties for drunken driving offenses.

"What do you have to lose?" said Geneva attorney DJ Tegeler. "You're not going to the penitentiary, but you may save someone's driver's license by going to trial."

Similar to the bracelets in electronic home monitoring programs used by probation officers, SCRAM devices read skin perspiration to detect if the wearer has used alcohol.

Kane County was the third in the state to use the bracelets, and its use has surpassed Cook, DuPage, Will and McHenry counties' usage combined, Barsanti said.

Of the 136 users, there have been 12 violations reported -- most for trying to remove the device -- giving the program a roughly a 91 percent compliance rate, date shows.

"With SCRAM, not only can we keep (the wearer) working, but we give them a reason to stop drinking," he said. "It's really had an impact on the DUI stuff."