MISSOULA,Mont. - According to the Montana Impaired Driving Assessment, since 2014, Montanans consume alcohol at a rate that is 33 percent higher than the national average. When alcohol consumption bumps up against Montana’s legal system, jail cells are filling up.
David Stephens was one of those people. He was in jail and had a dependency on alcohol. Stephens has since gone to treatment and turned his life around. He runs a successful bail bonds company and hopes others can learn from his mistakes.
“It’s a great feeling. I can relate to them. Depending on their crime I can relate to them in going through a bad part of their life,” Stephens said.
His journey started when he had a string of bad luck and used drinking as a coping mechanism.
“I never talked about it with anybody. I never mentioned it to anybody, but I drank over it so I didn’t have to think about it,” he said.
Stephens was fitted for an ankle monitor to track his alcohol consumption. He says he never drank while he was on it, but he wouldn’t have made it through if it wasn’t for treatment.
While he was in treatment he says he found himself and addressed his issues. He credits his family for helping him get back on track.
Jake Henry, of Compliance Monitoring Systems, has been in the correction industry since 2011. He knows first-hand the struggles some offenders face, but also feels a sense of pride when they succeed.
"Getting to that end result and being successful is just an awesome thing to see them do,” said Henry.
Henry says 99.3 percent of the clients they monitor are following the court-imposed rules.
Compliance monitoring systems has multiple ways to track offenders. The most common is a breathalyzer. They also use an ankle bracelet, which tracks your sweat every 30 minutes, and if you are violent or may be a flight risk you could be issued a GPS monitoring system.
Kenneth Adams has been in and out of jail since he was 18 years old. Adams has worn both bracelets and says it can be a deterrent not to drink.
“It was defiantly a big old reminder on my leg, yes, it did help me not to drink, remind me that I couldn't, but other than that a big old expensive piece of jewelry,” said Adams.
Adams admits alcohol has been a huge problem and an expensive one. He says it cost him around $10 a day for his ankle bracelet. Adams says he is done going to jail.
“As I’ve stayed sober long enough I found out that every time I’ve been to jail I was drinking, so it's time to cut that out of my life, because I’m sick of going to jail,” said Adams.
Stephens and Adams both don’t know what the future holds for them. But they both agree they have a new lease on life, and part of that is thanks to an ankle monitor.
MISSOULA,Mont. - According to the Montana Impaired Driving Assessment, since 2014, Montanans consume alcohol at a rate that is 33 percent higher than the national average.
ReplyDeleteWhen alcohol consumption bumps up against Montana’s legal system, jail cells are filling up.
David Stephens was one of those people. He was in jail and had a dependency on alcohol. Stephens has since gone to treatment and turned his life around. He runs a successful bail bonds company and hopes others can learn from his mistakes.
“It’s a great feeling. I can relate to them. Depending on their crime I can relate to them in going through a bad part of their life,” Stephens said.
His journey started when he had a string of bad luck and used drinking as a coping mechanism.
“I never talked about it with anybody. I never mentioned it to anybody, but I drank over it so I didn’t have to think about it,” he said.
Stephens was fitted for an ankle monitor to track his alcohol consumption. He says he never drank while he was on it, but he wouldn’t have made it through if it wasn’t for treatment.
While he was in treatment he says he found himself and addressed his issues. He credits his family for helping him get back on track.
Jake Henry, of Compliance Monitoring Systems, has been in the correction industry since 2011. He knows first-hand the struggles some offenders face, but also feels a sense of pride when they succeed.
"Getting to that end result and being successful is just an awesome thing to see them do,” said Henry.
Henry says 99.3 percent of the clients they monitor are following the court-imposed rules.
Compliance monitoring systems has multiple ways to track offenders. The most common is a breathalyzer. They also use an ankle bracelet, which tracks your sweat every 30 minutes, and if you are violent or may be a flight risk you could be issued a GPS monitoring system.
Kenneth Adams has been in and out of jail since he was 18 years old. Adams has worn both bracelets and says it can be a deterrent not to drink.
“It was defiantly a big old reminder on my leg, yes, it did help me not to drink, remind me that I couldn't, but other than that a big old expensive piece of jewelry,” said Adams.
Adams admits alcohol has been a huge problem and an expensive one. He says it cost him around $10 a day for his ankle bracelet. Adams says he is done going to jail.
“As I’ve stayed sober long enough I found out that every time I’ve been to jail I was drinking, so it's time to cut that out of my life, because I’m sick of going to jail,” said Adams.
Stephens and Adams both don’t know what the future holds for them. But they both agree they have a new lease on life, and part of that is thanks to an ankle monitor.