Some low-risk DUI offenders Pima County will soon be eligible for house arrest with electronic monitoring, instead of spending their entire sentences behind bars. 

The Pima County Board of Supervisors has approved a rule giving judges more options to help keep defendants out of jail.

County Attorney Barbara LaWall said the rule would apply mainly to first-time offenders — and even then, defendants would still have to serve 20 percent of their sentences in jail.

The Arizona Daily Star reported in addition to allowing defendants to continue providing for their families, the rule will also save the county an estimated $70 per prisoner, per day. 

That’s the cost difference between jail time and electronic monitoring costs. With an average 50 inmates a day serving sentences, the savings could be significant.