A SCRAM bracelet is a device worn on your ankle that can sense when you have alcohol in your system. It’s used to enforce sobriety as part of a DUI sentence.
Courts now use a variety of devices to enforce DUI sentences. One of the most dramatic is the SCRAM bracelet. A SCRAM is a device you wear 24 hours a day that can tell when you have alcohol in your system. It’s used to enforce no-drinking orders as part of DUI probation. Often, this is an alternative to going to jail.
SCRAM stands for Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor. It’s not usually used in first-time DUI cases. The court prefers to start with voluntary compliance programs such as alcohol treatment. You will usually only be ordered to wear a SCRAM if these other measures have failed.
A Los Angeles DUI lawyer can explain what a violation looks like legally and help you respond if the device flags something it shouldn’t.
Who is Usually Ordered to Wear a SCRAM?
SCRAM devices, also known as SCRAM CAM (CAM stands for continuous alcohol monitoring) devices, are usually ordered for defendants who:
- Are on their third or fourth DUI
- Have a history of severe alcoholism
- Have not succeeded in a previous alcohol treatment program
- Managed to get a DUI despite having an ignition interlock device in their vehicle
When you are ordered to wear a SCRAM, you must wear it night and day, even in the shower. It can sense even small amounts of alcohol in your system because some of the alcohol is emitted in your sweat. It can also sense attempts to tamper with it.
If you drink or tamper with the device, you will be ordered back to court and likely sent to jail.
How a SCRAM Device Actually Works
The transdermal monitoring system is a bracelet worn on your ankle. It samples the insensible perspiration your body produces continuously.
Every 30 minutes, the device takes a reading. It measures ethanol, the type of alcohol found in drinks, in the wearer’s perspiration sample. The data is stored in the device and transmitted to a monitoring company (SCRAM Systems), usually once per day through a home base station that connects over a phone line or cellular signal.
If transdermal alcohol testing detects alcohol above a set threshold, it flags the reading as a potential violation and sends an alert to the monitoring company, who then notifies the court or probation officer. This continuous alcohol monitoring happens automatically. No one is watching in real time, but the data is logged and later reviewed by the monitoring company.
What Happens if a SCRAM Violation is Reported?
A reported violation is serious. Depending on where you are in your case, the consequences can include:
- Bail revocation: If you’re out on bail with SCRAM as a condition, a violation can send you back to custody.
- Probation violation: If you’re on probation, a reported violation can trigger a hearing that puts your entire probation at risk.
- Additional charges: In some circumstances, a violation can result in new criminal charges.
- Extended monitoring: A judge may extend the SCRAM order or add other conditions.
A violation report does not automatically mean you’re guilty of anything. It means the monitoring company flagged something and reported it. You have the right to contest it, and an attorney can help you do that.
The key is not to wait. Violation hearings move quickly, and the window to gather evidence, challenge the data, and present your side is narrow.
Can I Drink Non-Alcoholic Beer While Wearing a SCRAM Device?
Most non-alcoholic beers contain trace amounts of residual alcohol, typically under 0.5%. For a DUI offender, even that small amount carries risk. The safest way to avoid alcohol detection is to avoid alcohol entirely while under a SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring order.
Who Pays for the SCRAM Device?
In most cases, the DUI offender pays for the transdermal alcohol monitor directly. Daily costs typically run between ten and fifteen dollars, depending on the monitoring provider. If the cost creates a genuine financial hardship, an attorney may be able to raise that issue with the court and request a reduced fee or alternative arrangement.
How Accurate is SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring?
Manufacturers and monitoring companies cite high accuracy rates for transdermal alcohol monitoring, but the ankle bracelet is not infallible. False positives have been documented and successfully challenged in court.
The reliability of any specific alcohol detection reading depends on the condition of the device, whether it was properly calibrated, whether the tamper-proof strap was intact, and the circumstances surrounding the reading. If you receive a violation notice you believe is inaccurate, contact an attorney right away.
Have you been charged with DUI? We can connect you with an experienced Los Angeles DUI lawyer and give you a FREE consultation. Fill out the form to the right or call and get your free consultation today.
Fact Checked 
