They look just like wristwatches, but the devices dangling from offenders' arms in Barry County, Michigan, serve a far different purpose than telling time; they monitor people's sleep patterns to determine if they have been drinking or using drugs. 

SleepTime technology was introduced in the county six months ago to alert community corrections officers when their clients may be violating their probation by using substances, such as alcohol, cocaine or methamphetamine.  So far, probation personnel are singing the praises of this new tool.

"It has been perfect for us," said Jeff Westra, Program Coordinator for the Office of Community Corrections and Director of the Barry County Drug Court.  "We've gone through several different devices that are used to detect alcohol [and] we've found them all to be kind-of lacking in certain areas," he added. 

Westra said SleepTime has worked well for the county because it's an inexpensive, easy-to-use, effective means of monitoring offenders' substance use.

"It's actually quite a simple technology and, given the cost, hands down, it beats pretty much anything else," said Westra.

Drug Impairment Detection Services (DIDS), LLC, the New York-based company that manufactures SleepTime, charges jurisdictions $2.73 per day for each offender using the technology.  Barry County flips that cost back onto their clients, who are charged $3 a day, which is still not a high price to pay, compared to what it costs for other monitoring technologies, Westra said.

Since most of the offenders are typically strapped for cash, SleepTime benefits both the county and the probationers.

"We like to kind-of cut them a break a little bit and make it as easy as possible for everyone involved," Westra said. 

For the county's community corrections department, SleepTime red flags offenders who may have been using alcohol or drugs, in violation of the conditions of their probation.  Those offenders who are placed on the technology report to the probation office every Monday and Thursday, so that information about their sleep patterns can be retrieved from their wristbands.

According to Doug Kabat, Eastern Regional Manager for DIDS, research shows that an individual's sleep patterns vary when they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  Alcohol, he explained, disrupts the total amount of sleep a person gets during the night, the amount of deep sleep someone gets and how long it takes for a person to enter the REM stage of sleep. 

Other drugs, like cocaine or meth, typically wipe out sleep altogether, he said.

"Each of those patterns is associated with a particular drug," Kabat said. 

When offenders are placed on a SleepTime monitor, their normal sleep patterns are determined during the first two weeks, to give the community corrections agency a baseline to compare with future readings.  Some people, who have irregular sleep patterns to begin with, are required to take a urine test at this point to make sure that they are not under the influence of any substances when their typical sleep pattern is being established.

"We have to make sure that what we are seeing is clean and sober sleep patterns," said Kabat. 

After that, SleepTime catches any disruptions to those sleep patterns and identifies candidates who have been sleeping irregularly for further testing, according to Kabat.

When offenders report to their probation office, their wristbands are connected with a reader, which uploads the data from the equipment to the DIDS website.  Within just a few minutes, the computer analyzes that information and sends a report back to the probation office detailing whether or not substance use is suspected.

Kabat said that the wristband can capture data about an offender's sleep patterns for the previous three-and-a-half days.  If it seems as though the patterns are abnormal and the offender does not admit to using alcohol or drugs, he or she will be asked to provide a urine sample, which is then shipped to the DIDS laboratory for testing.

"From [the computer] analysis, we can tell if people have been getting high," said Kabat.  "If we think they have been getting high and they deny such use, then we run the urine toxicology test.  We [then] have a toxicology report that is court admissible."

The community corrections agency is only responsible for the cost of that urine test if it comes back positive, Westra said, and, even then, the amount goes onto the offender's court balance. 

Westra explained that negative tests can occur if offenders drink a lot of caffeine before bed or are under a great deal of stress and have a restless sleep.  The SleepTime monitor picks up on that deviation from their normal sleep pattern and flags the offender for additional testing.  If that test is negative, DIDS will absorb the cost.

The SleepTime wristband also enables probation staff to determine if the device has been removed from an individual's arm when he or she shows up at the office for a reading. 

"The monitor will be able to tell if it has been sitting on a table for three days," Westra said.

Although an offender can simply cut the band off, Westra said that rarely happens with the 22 probationers who are on the technology in Barry County because they know that they will be charged at least $700 if the technology is damaged or lost.

Plus, he said, most of the offenders in Barry County who are being monitored by SleepTime truly want stay sober and clean up their acts.

"Most of the folks who are on the monitors, we've found, are pretty invested in their sobriety," said Westra.  "We have had a lot of positive come out of this."

Resources:

Westra (269) 945-1432

Kabat (877) PASSPOINT