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Keeping drunks dry through technocorrections?

One of the criminal justice trends I've failed to track as closely on Grits as the subject probably merits is the rise of so-called technocorrections, using technology instead of jails and prisons to monitor offenders in the community. The two most successful technocorrections monitoring solutions so far have arguably been GPS tracking (usually with an ankle monitor) and ignitition interlock devices that require DWI recidivists to blow into a breathalyzer before their car will start.The latest technocorrections innovation combines the use of an ankle monitor with alcohol detection technology to directly monitor alcohol consumption by a probationer. According to a press release from the vendor (Denver-based Alcohol Monitoring Systems Inc.):The state of Texas is now the largest user of a high-tech, alternative sentencing program that aims to shift the focus from "warehousing" offenders and sanctioning cars to battling what judges call the root cause of the DUI epidemic: the alcohol addiction...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on November 19, 2008 (boomark / email).