Lindsay Lohan Ordered to Wear SCRAM Bracelet; Also in Use in Tampa Bay Area Cases

Actress and party girl Lindsay Lohan was ordered to wear an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet by a California judge earlier this week. Lohan is on probation for a drug charge and several alcohol-related driving offenses.

Lohan failed to appear a probation review hearing last week, instead attending the Cannes Film Festival in France. A bench warrant was issued for her arrest for failing to appear. The warrant was recalled after her lawyer posted bail. Lohan returned to the U.S. over the weekend and appeared in court on Monday.

As a condition of her continued release, Lohan must wear the ankle bracelet and submit to regular drug and alcohol testing. She is set to reappear in court for a probation violation hearing on July 6. The bracelet – often referred to as a SCRAM bracelet (which stands for “Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitor”) – was placed on Lohan immediately. She will be required to wear it until the July hearing, at which time the judge could order it removed or she could order that it remain in place as a new condition of probation.

The SCRAM bracelet is also used in the Tampa Bay area. In almost all alcohol-related crimes, including DUIs, the judge will order a defendant to refrain from drinking alcohol while free on bail or while on probation. The SCRAM bracelet makes it possible to enforce that condition on a regular basis.

The bracelet is strapped to a defendant’s leg above his or her ankle and can be hidden under pants. It samples sweat on the skin every half hour and detects the presence of alcohol. It records the data and sends results back to a central, monitored computer.

The bracelets also contain anti-tampering technology designed to detect when someone is trying to fool the device. A recent newspaper article suggested that about 50 SCRAM bracelets are in use at any one time in the Tampa Bay area.

Use of the SCRAM bracelet does generally cost $10 a day, paid by the bracelet wearer.