Special DUI Court Designed to Treat Multiple Offenders

Officials of Centre County, Pennsylvania, have announced plans to launch a brand new division within the county superior court system which is designed specifically to address the needs of driving under the influence (DUI) offenders. The new DUI court has been said to combine punishment as well as treatment into a more effective sentencing alternative in an effort to decrease driving under the influence incidents. Centre County Board of Commissioners Chaiman John Eich predicts that that new DUI Court will reduce the repeat DUI offender rate by as much as ten to fifteen percent.

This special court supervised program, which is funded by grant money from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, is open to individuals guilty of three or more driving under the influence offenses.

The idea for the new DUI program came from the realization that the current method of penalizing DUI offenders has, thus far, been largely unsuccessful. According to Judge Bradley Lunsford, "One of the drawbacks to how we treat repeat offenders now is that we essentially warehouse them. We try to give them some therapeutic intervention, but it's really limited. At the end of the period of incarceration we open the door and release an alcohol dependant person back into the community."

In a departure from previous court programs, the purpose of this program is to help participants reconnect with the community while supporting the offenders on a wide range of individual needs, in addition to addiction. Program Administrator Cathy Arbogast shed light on this new concept, explaining, "A lot of these folks have lost their homes, they don't have a job, they may have physical or mental health disorders. It's hard to expect them to focus on their drug and alcohol treatment when they're dealing with these other things."

The judges and program administrators who will be working in the new DUI court have emphasized that the number one priority of program staff is to create an environment of positive peer pressure in which multiple DUI offenders can succeed and make positive lifestyle changes. "You get rewards for doing what you're supposed to be doing, which could include less community service hours or gift certificates donated from businesses," Arbogast added.

The goal of the DUI court is to encourage the program participants to make lasting lifestyle changes that will hopefully translate into a decrease in DUI numbers. Arbogast emphasized this point by stating, "You will get in more trouble for not showing up with your urine than showing up with a positive sample. Showing up shows you acknowledge you need more treatment. It's a completely different way of thinking."

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