Trying to keep people from driving under the influence is a full-time job – for thousands and thousands of people. One of the few bright spot in helping prevent repeat behavior has been DUI courts.
The purpose of the DUI Court is to help a person get clean and sober instead of sending them to prison. I have known countless success stories of repeat DUI offenders who found their way back to sobriety through the efforts of DUI Court. As reported in www.gainesvilletimes.com.
DUI Court gives people a second chance at life.
Bennett’s recovery and the recovery of others speak to the effectiveness of the DUI Court, program leaders said. Often times, people in the grips of addiction feel shame, despair and helplessness.
Instead of jail time, DUI Court holds offenders accountable and gives them the chance to do the right thing.
Their time in the program is as long as the judge deems necessary, based on their sentence and cooperation. They must attend weekly court and counseling sessions and submit to random drug screenings, or face reincarceration.
The program lasts a minimum of 15 months, divided into three phases, each five months long. The average length of time is about 16 months.
Unlike in drug court, DUI Court is not a way to erase the charge but is a part of probation after conviction, in most cases a second or third conviction.
Statistics as to the success of DUI Court are just now streaming in. In 10 years, only 10 percent of DUI Court graduates wound up back in court with a DUI conviction.
Another impressive statistic: a 98 percent employment rate upon graduation, versus 66 percent prior to the court’s creation.
I like to see the DUI Court mandating online alcohol, drug, and DWI classes for all offenders. Drunk drivers need education to transform their behavior. Once they learn more and decide they truly want to be liberated, then they can finally have control over the substance.