According to the St. Petersburg Times and their Curtis Krueger, 'problem drinkers' can be bribed off the stuff and it appears the offenders are taking the bait.
It seems that technology once again trumps a concerted effort to educate people — and really, whether it's a garden variety DUI or a horrific killing and crippling of a family of four — you're likely going to get prison/jail time these days and still have access to alcohol [or some twisted concoction of contraband] on a semi-regular basis behind bars provided you can afford the 'jailhouse' fee.
So along comes a device {looks kinda like costume jewelry} which constantly measures body temperature, and is thus sensitive to any alcohol intake.
Problem solved (at least in the eyes of justice): culprit caught, convicted, punished, "rehabilitated" and released.
Again whatever the real problem that is driving the self-destructive behavior is completely ignored.
The nut of Krueger's pithy piece is this:
"There are ways, such as random urine samples, mandatory AA meetings, and visits to probation officers — all with the threat of more jail time looming overhead.
But it can still be possible to cheat, partly because traces of alcohol disappear from the body more quickly than other drugs.
The alcohol monitors are designed to take away that possibility.
The Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor ... is strapped to a defendant's leg above his or her ankle and can be hidden under a pants cuff."
The cost of such a device is $10 a day for the offender: That's a $300 monthly burden that not everyone can afford. But as the Tampa Bay representative for SCRAM said, $10 a day is less than some people spend at bars and "How much money are you making in jail?"
Unfortunately the bracelet cannot address the real reasons driving the problem drinker/alcoholic's repeated self-destructive behavior — it's simply putting a leash on a dog that still wants to run.
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