Innovative Monitoring Network
Dry January and the Movement Towards Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Dry January and the Movement Towards Non-Alcoholic Beverages According to a July 2023 Gallup survey, only 62% of Americans say they drink alcohol, compared to 38% who say they completely abstain from drinking. Additionally, young adults today are less likely to drink than young adults 20 years ago, but older adults are more likely to do so, according to Gallup. As younger generations move...
‘No Cash Bail’ Law Becomes First of its Kind in Illinois
‘No Cash Bail’ Law Becomes First of its Kind in Illinois In February of 2021, Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law making Illinois the first U.S. state to abolish cash bail payments for arrested individuals who are waiting to stand trial. Known as the Illinois Pre-Trial Fairness Act, proponents of the law argue that cash bail is a “poor people’s tax” because incarcerated...
States with Ignition Interlock Compliance Laws Note Lower Rates of Repeat DUI Offenses
States with Ignition Interlock Compliance Laws Note Lower Rates of Repeat DUI Offenses According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), 31% of all fatal crashes in 2021 were caused by alcohol-impaired drivers. In fact, repeat DUI offenders are more likely to be involved in DUI-related fatal crashes than first-time offenders. To help combat this problem, all 50 states have adopted...
The Most Dangerous U.S. States for Drunk Driving
The Most Dangerous U.S. States for Drunk Driving Picture this: You are sitting at the bar on a Friday night after a long week of work. You decide to treat yourself to a couple of beers before you head home. As you get into your car to drive home, you hesitate briefly, but decide to anyway because home is only a few miles away. The next thing you know, you’re lying on a stretcher with the front...
New Texas Law Makes Cutting off Ankle Monitors a Crime
New Texas Law Makes Cutting off Ankle Monitors a Crime On a Saturday morning in October 2022, two hospital employees, Jacqueline Pokuaa and Katie Flowers, were killed in a shooting at Methodist Dallas Medical Center. The suspected shooter, Nestor Hernandez, was on parole for aggravated robbery and had an active GPS ankle monitor on when the shooting occurred. In addition, Hernandez had...
New Colorado SB22-055 Requires Continuous Alcohol Monitoring for Repeat DUI Offenders
New Colorado SB22-055 Requires Continuous Alcohol Monitoring for Repeat DUI Offenders The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that repeat offenders account for about one-third of all drunk driving arrests. In fact, the risk of being involved in an alcohol-related traffic crash increases by approximately 20% with each additional prior DUI. There is clear evidence that...
California Repeals Use of Numerous Offender-Pay Fees with AB1869
California Repeals Use of Numerous Offender-Pay Fees with AB1869 The State of California has taken a significant step related to the issue of the fees an individual may be assessed as a condition of release for pretrial, probation, and parole. California’s AB1869 was signed into law in late 2020 and went into effect on July 1, 2021. The bill was designed to reduce the economic burden on people...
Facial Verification Versus Facial Recognition
Facial Verification Versus Facial Recognition Facial recognition was originally developed in the 1960s and gained profound popularity in the early 1990s when the United States Department of Defense began using it. Today, facial recognition is omnipresent, and we often don’t even think about it. But the use of this technology is not without controversy. Studies have determined that individuals...
Decreasing Drinking Can Lift Your Spirits
Decreasing Drinking Can Lift Your Spirits Adults in the U.S. used a variety of coping skills to handle the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. While some increased exercise or tackled a list of home improvement projects, many increased their consumption of alcohol to cope. Unfortunately, this likely had the opposite effect than what was intended—rather than lifting spirits, picking up extra...
Decreasing Drinking Can Lift Your Spirits
Decreasing Drinking Can Lift Your Spirits Adults in the U.S. used a variety of coping skills to handle the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. While some increased exercise or tackled a list of home improvement projects, many increased their consumption of alcohol to cope. Unfortunately, this likely had the opposite effect than what was intended—rather than lifting spirits, picking up extra...