National Association of Drug Court Professionals calls alcohol monitoring technology valuable tool
The National Association of Drug Court Professionals, a respected national association representing judges and other professionals who work in the nation’s 2,500 drug courts and 1,200 problem-solving courts, announced at its annual conference in Boston that alcohol monitoring technology can be a supportive and “valuable tool” for ensuring the goal of sobriety for court participants.
Since abstinence is a requirement of DWI Courts and Drug Courts, participants are prohibited from consuming alcohol. Because alcohol is rapidly eliminated from the body and therefore difficult to detect, technology can be a valuable tool for monitoring alcohol use, read a portion of the position statement released by the association’s board of directors at the conference.
While NADCP does not endorse specific products, the association stated in its position paper that it supports continued research and development of additional alcohol monitoring tools. The NADCP went on to show support for continuous alcohol monitoring devices for DWI and drug court participants. Transdermal continuous alcohol monitoring is a valid and reliable way to detect alcohol consumption, stated the position paper.
BI Incorporated has offered alcohol monitoring technologies to drug courts and community corrections since the 1990s. In 2009, BI introduced BI TAD ®, a continuous alcohol monitoring system. BI TAD, or Transdermal Alcohol Detector, continuously monitors for alcohol consumption through a noninvasive skin sensor worn on an offender’s ankle. TAD also includes radio-frequency and is compatible with GPS monitoring capabilities. Individuals on the system can be monitored for curfews and alcohol use with the same device.
NADCP is well respected by judges and corrections professionals nationwide. For NADCP to show its support for the use of technology that monitors sobriety is a very positive development. We will continue to support drug courts and community corrections agencies with proven technology and treatment and training programs to ensure conditions of the court are being followed, said Jock Waldo, BI vice president, marketing.
