Judge Nancy Bill has been awarded a grant of $46,170 to start a DUI Court Program in Rockdale County. The start-up money came from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
DUI Court is a an alternative sentencing program designed to address repeat DUI offenders. The purpose of the program is to provide a court-supervised treatment program to those who have had multiple DUI arrests. The program is directly supervised by a judge, with whom participants meet at least once every two weeks. The program takes at least 18 months to complete.
The program is good intentioned, but it has been reported to attorneys that the rigidity of the program does not always meet the needs of criminal defendants or the ends of justice.
"Many participants simply do not have the time or the means to successfully participate," said Georgia DUI Lawyer Richard Lawson, who regularly practices in Rockdale County. "When sentenced to the program, you will be required to meet with the judge 2-3 times a month, attend 3 AA meetings a week, and 2 treatment classes a week. In addition, participant must keep a journal and report progress to the court. Participants must pay several hundred dollars a month while in the program. Participants must also wave their medical privacy rights, since their personal information will be discussed in open court at every session."
According to Lawson, participants still suffer the same driver's license suspension as if they had not participated in the program. So, even with all the additional court sessions and treatment obligations, participants generally have no driving privilege at all. Participants must depend on the kindness of others to take them to all of these meetings and obligations. To be clear, participation in the program will not help anyone get their driver's license restored early.
"There are other potential pitfalls to participation is DUI Court," said Lawson, who has witnessed many situations in various DUI courts first-hand. "If you fail to meet any of the obligations ordered by the Court, you will be sanctioned. Sanctions can include additional community service hours and even time in jail. In effect, participants can end up serving more time in jail by participating in the program, than had they simply taken the jail-time when they were sentenced. Since some DUI court programs, such as in Hall County Georgia, are mandatory, it may not be an option to choose jail-time instead of participation."
The program is not all bad. However, advises Lawson "anyone going into the program should be 100% committed to success, or they will certainly be punished throughout the entire 18-24 months in the program. Also, participants need to have a strong support network of family and friends willing to sacrifice their time to get them to all of the meetings and court sessions. Finally, participants need to have flexibility in their work, in order to attend all that they need to attend. Being independently wealthy would certainly help."
