/ Modified sep 8, 2015 8:20 a.m.

Some DUI Offenders in Tucson Get Home Detention Option

Those considered low risk will wear GPS ankle bracelets at home and work.

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Pima County is starting a home detention program for people convicted of misdemeanor charges for driving under the influence.

The program lets low-risk offenders serve their sentence in the community instead of in jail, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department expects it to save the county tens of thousands of dollars.

Sheriff Chris Nanos said many Tucson drivers arrested for DUI don’t belong in jail.

“We see it all the time," Nanos said. "Young kids, teenagers, all the way up to our elderly population, never been in touch with law enforcement, probably never would be in touch with law enforcement, but they made a poor decision.”

The program requires people serving a DUI sentence wear a GPS ankle monitor and use a camera-equipped alcohol monitoring device at home and at work. The Sheriff’s Department says tracking someone on a GPS device can cost the county $15 daily, while it costs $85 a day to jail a DUI offender.

Defendants with a history of violent offenses, missed court appearances and probation violations are not eligible for the program.

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