Posted inJudges
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.
SCRAM
Posted inCriminal Courts, Projects, Surveilling Sobriety
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.
Posted inCriminal Courts, Surveilling Sobriety
SCRAM vendor continues to operate despite lapsed contract with Cook County
With no oversight from county officials or direction from the chief judge, a private contractor continues to profit from court-ordered alcohol monitors.
Posted inJudges, Judicial Conduct, Surveilling Sobriety
Her crime was driving without a license; a judge forced her to choose between months in jail or a year of alcohol monitoring
Anastasia Strauther still doesn’t understand why Cook County Judge Gregory Vazquez ordered her to wear a sobriety monitor for a driving on a suspended license case.
Posted inSurveilling Sobriety
Cook County judge Vazquez’s heavy use of sobriety monitor highlights oversight gaps
Billed as a humane punishment for drunk driving, SCRAM comes at a heavy cost for defendants. One judge in Maywood uses it often, and without oversight.