DUI Court Cases

America’s Need for DUI Courts
Claudia Delude
Ivy Tech Community College

ABSTRACT
Persistent drunk driver’s have already been through the system. They need an alternative form of punishment. The traditional punitive punishments handed out by statute are not effective. This is proven when a driver gets his third, fourth or fifth DUI. This paper explores the DUI court model and how it is more effective in reducing recidivism. This method of judicial process has been created to handle persistent drunk drivers. It emphasizes rehabilitation and changing an offender’s patterns. Here, the offenders are treated like alcoholics, not criminals. They receive more therapy than jail time. The
By participating in DUI court, offenders will have the opportunity to be rehabilitated and return to society as productive healthy citizens. Those that are punished through the traditional court sentencing and do not participate in DUI court, will generally offend again and will end up being incarcerated. Taken as a whole, quality DUI courts can significantly reduce DUI recidivism when they are fairly and appropriately court ordered. The DUI court program has had great success in working with offenders and getting them back on a law abiding and productive track of life. If all states adopted such legislation, the number of persistent drunk drivers nationwide would decrease significantly, our jails would not be overcrowded and alcoholics would be given a second chance to live life right, one day at a time.
The problem of driving while impaired has existed as long as society has had the automobile. As our population has increased, streets and roadways have become more crowded and vehicles have become more powerful. Drunk driving is the crime of driving while impaired by alcohol. Historically, the problem has compounded through the
Most participants experience greater health, reunification or better relationships with family and friends, a true spirituality, better financial management skills and greater success at work. The participant must make a commitment to change. The participant must recognize that he/she has a substance abuse problem and demonstrate a readiness for change. The participant must have sufficient mental and physical health to be able to complete the activities and requirements of the program and may not be taking medications, which are inconsistent with program testing or sobriety. There may also be other mandatory participation requirements such as frequent court hearings, frequent probation meetings, community support meeting (such as AA), random drug and alcohol testing, and other civic