Surveilling Sobriety
Hundreds of Cook County probationers have been required to wear an electronic alcohol-monitoring bracelet, even in cases unrelated to alcohol. A single judge, Judge Gregory Vazquez, was responsible for more than one-third of the orders.
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Impact
A project with impact
Our reporting on the use of electronic alcohol-monitoring bracelets motivated advocates to push for legislation limiting their use.
SCRAM devices come under fire from Cook County board
Following Injustice Watch’s reporting, county commissioners held a hearing into the company that has billed more than $3 million to defendants ordered to wear SCRAM alcohol monitors.
Governor signs bill limiting judges’ ability to order alcohol monitoring
The measure follows an Injustice Watch investigation into abuses of the ankle bracelet program known as SCRAM.
Project Contributors
Reporting by Maya Dukmasova
Editing by Jonah Newman
Photographs by April Alonso for Injustice Watch
Illustrations by Veronica Martinez