By Erin Thompson
The Daily Item
LEWISBURG — Union County is offering an alternative to months of incarceration for repeat DUI offenders that combines intensive supervision with drug and alcohol treatment.
With the use of new technologies, probation officers are able to track offenders and their drug and alcohol use with a SCRAM bracelet, which measures transdermal alcohol exposure, as well as a GPS monitor.
"(The bracelet) picks up things like hand sanitizer, cleaners with alcohol and is able to clarify whether it was alcohol consumption or contact with alcohol," said Scott Kerstetter, drug treatment court officer and adult probation officer.
D. Peter Johnson, the county's district attorney, is the "gatekeeper" of the program, Kerstetter said.
If approved, offenders serve one week of jail time, and after that, they use the bracelet for the first eight months of treatment and report progress every week.
Offenders undergo a formal drug and alcohol program through the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit to make sure they get the appropriate care, as well as attend community service assignments, self-help meetings and job training.
There are nine DUI offenders in the 12-month treatment court program, which started in Union County in January.
Kerstetter said offenders visibly show improvement from week to week.
"There is a difference in appearance and behavior from when they come in," he said.
However, the officer said, it is the offender's responsibility to follow through with the treatment.
"When someone comes into treatment court, our goal is to create an environment in which they can be successful and turn their lives around," Kerstetter said. "But they have to be willing to do the work."
Union County Commissioner Preston Boop said the program can be beneficial to repeat DUI offenders in a number of ways.
"They get the opportunity to build their resume and develop some work skills," he said.
"Some of those folks have never had a strong authority figure in their lives, and in their case, the judge fills that void," Boop added.
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