According to the Seattle Times, Seattle Municipal Courts may soon begin using ankle bracelets to keep track of DUI offenders and defendants in place of jail time.

The bracelets, which work by measuring the alcohol levels on a person's skin, are widely seen as a cost-effective method-cheaper than keeping offenders in jail-of keeping an eye on those on probation after a DUI conviction and those awaiting trial on DUI charges.

Overcrowded jails and the high costs of jail time are leading growing number of state judges to support the bracelets, formally known as Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitors (SCRAMs). The bracelets take alcohol readings every 30 minutes and can also detect tampering. Once the measurements are taken, the data is sent to a private company based out of Colorado by the name of Alcohol Monitoring Systems, which then sends the daily reports concerning alcohol consumption and tampering to probation staff and courthouses. The bracelets apparently do not measure drug use.

A spokesman for the city of Seattle said the city will require offenders wearing the monitors to pay all associated costs, which amount to less than $15 per day. While that may seem burdensome, it costs $125 per day to keep an offender in King County Jail.

Most offenders in cities where the bracelets are already used are glad to pay the daily costs of the monitor in exchange for staying out of jail, since it allows them to keep their jobs, see their families, and still retain most of their freedom. In that sense, the bracelets may help in dealing with some of the problems inmates face upon release from incarceration.

Source: Seattle Times, "Seattle courts to trade jail for ankle bracelets," Jennifer Sullivan, 10 May 2011.