In the criminal justice system, recidivism rates are always important. The results of a study recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, provide encouraging insight into recidivism rates for offenders convicted of driving under the influence, or DUI. According to the study, the use of SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring® (CAM) devices may dramatically reduce the rates at which offenders re-offend for alcohol related offenses.
Entitled “Comparative Study and Evaluation of SCRAM Use Recidivism Rates and Characteristics”, the study was conducted by the Preusser Research Group and looked at more than 3000 DUI offenders in Wisconsin and Nebraska who had offenses occurring between 2007 and 2009. For purposes of the study, recidivism was defined as a re-arrest for an alcohol related driving offense within two years after termination of monitoring.
The study compared a number of potential factors that might impact recidivism rates, including the use SCRAM bracelets. A SCRAM bracelet is a device that an offender is required to wear on his/her ankle 24/7 during the court ordered monitoring period. The bracelet is a transdermal alcohol testing device that has the ability to detect the presence of alcohol in a wearer’s system. A record of the alcohol detection is then kept and forwarded to the offender’s probation official and/or to the sentencing court which will likely lead to a violation of the offender’s probation. The Preusser study looked at whether being ordered to wear a SCRAM device led to a reduction in recidivism rates for offenders. The answer appear to be a very clear “yes.”
According to the report, the use of a SCRAM device delayed recidivism by as much as 43 percent. Only two percent of wearers re-offended while actually using the SCRAM device. A shocking 113 percent reduction in recidivism rates was shown in Nebraska when offenders were ordered to wear the SCRAM device for at least 90 days.
While others factors, such as age and sex, were also shown to have a direct impact on recidivism rates, the use or non-use of a SCRAM device was clearly a leading factor in whether or not an offender was likely to re-offend.
If you have been charged with driving under the influence in Nebraska your first goal should be to avoid a conviction for DUI. If a conviction is inevitable, your next goal should be to negotiate the best plea agreement possible. An experienced Nebraska criminal defense attorney can evaluate your unique case and provide you with individualized device. Contact the Petersen Law Office 24 hours a day at 402-513-2180 to discuss your case with an experienced DUI defense attorney.
Attorney Petersen was invited to join the National Advocacy for DUI Defense (NAFDD) organization in 2013. NAFDD vets thousands of lawyers and only chooses those who have achieved stellar results in DUI defense cases. Attorney Petersen was named one of the Top 50 defense attorneys in Nebraska out of more than 5,000.
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