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24/7 sobriety program reduces jail stays but counties report net shortfalls, sheriffs say
Summary
BCI and county representatives told the Interim Judiciary Committee the 24/7 sobriety program uses multiple monitoring technologies and may reduce jail time, but many counties spend more running the program than they recover in participant fees.
Pat Helfrich, 24/7 coordinator for the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and county representatives told the Interim Judiciary Committee the 24/7 sobriety program has grown since its 2007 pilot and is used by courts and probation to monitor alcohol or drug use as an alternative to incarceration. Helfrich described testing technologies and fees: twice‑daily in‑person breath tests cost participants $1 per test (counties keep the $2 that participants pay per day for in‑office twice‑daily testing; Helfrich said counties keep $1 and $1 is paid to the county for administration), electronic monitoring (SCRAM) has…
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