Do your jail time at home.

Electronic home monitoring is a way of doing your jail time in the comfort of your own home. There are several methods of monitoring your compliance with the court’s sentence. The most common in an ankle bracelet that alerts the monitoring agency when you wander too far from the base unit.

Some units also allow the court to monitor alcohol abstinence. These units work like the “go-n-blow” units installed in cars. When the office calls in the subject blows into a breath alcohol device and the results are immediately sent to the monitoring agency. Most companies require that you have a land line for their device, but a few companies are set up for cell phones.

Courts vary on what type of home monitoring they will approve and which companies they will allow you to use. Always check with a DUI or Criminal Defense attorney that works in the court you are dealing with to find out what your options are.

The biggest advantage to home monitoring is it allows you to do your term of confinement in your own house. You get to sleep in your bed, eat your food and use your own facilities. Usually you will be allowed to work a normal work schedule and attend necessary appointments, such as doctor’s visits and alcohol treatment. On the other hand, EHM is more expensive than jail and normally you are not eligible for early release (“good time”).

Be aware that you cannot do EHM in lieu of mandatory jail time on a DUI conviction (except under some very specific circumstances). If the court approves, you can do EHM instead of any jail time in excess of the mandatory minimums or for most other misdemeanors. Second DUI convictions, and beyond, also require mandatory EHM in addition to the mandatory minimum jail.

In additon to private EHM companies, many municipal and county jails offer EHM. For Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and throughout Snohomish and King County I recomend the following agencies, if your court will approve.

• Stay Home Electronic Monitoring
• Homebound Service
• City of Mountlake Terrace

SCRAM devices are also worth mention.  More often they are used to monitor abstinance on pre-trial release and not after sentencing.  SCRAM is aankle bracelet that monitors alcohol consumption through sweat.  Increasingly courts are ordering SCRAM bracelets as a condition of release pending trial on DUIs. Many courts mandate you go through their probation department but if you have a choice Homebound Services is a good agency to use.