Smith's ankle bracelet an 'accessory' made famous by Lindsay Lohan

							Smith’s ankle bracelet an ‘accessory’
made famous by Lindsay Lohan



By John Supinie
GateHouse News Service
Wed Sep 17, 2008, 07:37 PM CDT

URBANA - Allowed to start a new life in Evansville, Ind., former Illinois basketball
guard Jamar Smith must wear an ankle bracelet 24 hours a day to inform Champaign
County authorities if he falls into old habits.

During a court appearance Wednesday, Smith received 18 months probation and must
serve a 180-day jail sentence if he breaks terms of his probation, including abstinence
from alcohol. The SCRAM (short for Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Systems) ankle
bracelet monitors alcohol use by sampling the perspiration collected from the air above
the skin.

The bracelet stores readings twice an hour and transmits the data through a wireless
radio-frequency signal to a modem. Readings can be downloaded through a phone line to
a central location for analysis.

"It's a relatively new program in Champaign County,'' said Champaign County state's
attorney Julia Rietz. "We've been using it in drug court and expanding it into these
situations where people have a serious alcohol problem. If there's any indication that he's
using alcohol, we'll know it through the technology.''

The bracelet gained notoriety when it was used by actress Lindsay Lohan.

Smith was fitted for the bracelet Wednesday afternoon, and he must wear it 24 hours a
day. That means he'll have it on when he plays and practices at Division II Southern
Indiana, where Smith planned to enroll for the second semester.

The bracelet includes a box roughly the size of a deck of cards. The combination weighs
5 1/2 ounces. Southern Indiana coach Rick Herdes was informed of the bracelet, Rietz
said.

The rubber strap is tamper proof. The bracelet also takes other readings through an
infrared beam to ensure nothing is between the bracelet and skin.

"It's quite durable,'' said Kathleen Brown, SCRAM spokeswoman. "We have people
wearing it who work in construction. We've had athletes wear it before. The only thing
they can't do is submerge it in water. They can shower but can't go into a swimming pool
or a hot tub.''

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.