How Does Lindsay's SCRAM Bracelet Work, Anyway?

Here's what the alcohol-monitoring system looks for, and what it doesn't

By Leslie Gornstein Jun 10, 2010 10:00 PMTags
Lindsay LohanDevone Byrd/PacificCoastNews.com

Lindsay's alcohol monitoring bracelet says she illegally drank alcohol. She says otherwise. Who is lying?
—Supes, Milwaukee, via the Answer B!tch inbox

You mean when Lindsay Lohan's alcohol monitoring bracelet went off, reportedly during the MTV Movie Awards, was it even possible that Lilo hadn't been imbibing at all, and someone just spilled a drink all over her spangly Evel Knievel jumpsuit?

Here's exactly what you need to know about those bracelets, and, yes, it's enough information for you to draw your own conclusion:

First, the SCRAM bracelet is very sensitive.

Ever since Lohan was fitted with the bracelet on May 24, the SCRAM has been able to sense all kinds of alcohol in her vicinity, including hairspray and other far-from-illegal substances. And, yes, those alcohols do trigger an alert, a SCRAM spokeswoman tells me. So, of course, would a drink spilled on the bracelet or leg. That's exactly what Lohan's mother, Dina, insists happened at the awards.

But the SCRAM system is also supposed to be as smart as it is sensitive.

Take it away, spokeswoman Kathleen Brown:

"SCRAM can easily tell the difference between exposure to alcohol around the bracelet and actual consumed alcohol that metabolizes through the skin. Our confirmation process includes an evaluation that ensures there is no chance that an alcohol alert is anything but consumed alcohol."

And the SCRAM only tattles on a wearer if it is convinced that alcohol was consumed, not just spilled on the skin.

"We've tested hundreds of products over the years to ensure that nothing can mimic the results of consumed alcohol, including this scenario," Brown tells me.

So when a judge ruled that Lohan had violated her bail, there was good reason.

Could some new information come to light that proves Lindsay right, and that there was some sort of misunderstanding? Of course. But is that likely? I'll let you figure that out.