Justice system takes new DUI approach to court

Deepa Bharath

A new program at the Harbor Justice Center is expected to take

drunken drivers off the street in an area notorious for producing the

most DUI offenders in the state, officials said.

DUI Court, a two-year pilot program funded by a $1.03-million

grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, is designed to

keep people from repeatedly driving under the influence of alcohol or

drugs by increasing treatment, supervision and accountability, said

Teresa Risi, collaborative courts manager for the Orange County

Superior Court.

When a second- or third-time offender is pulled over in

Newport-Mesa or Irvine, they may qualify for DUI Court. If they are

accepted into the program, a judge stays their jail sentence while

they successfully complete the rigorous program, which will include

attending classes and working with probation officers. Offenders

serve their jail time after completing the program, although the time

served may be reduced, Risi said.

The program is modeled after Drug Court, which has been running

successfully in Orange County for the last 10 years, she said. Drug

Court requires offenders to undergo substance-abuse treatment in

addition to education, formal supervision and random testing.

“But unlike Drug Court, participants of this program will have to

serve out their mandatory jail sentence,” Risi said. “The program

does not replace jail time, but it may reduce it depending on the

judge.”

Participants in the DUI Court will be under constant “judicial

supervision,” she said.

“They will be required to come back and see the judge every few

weeks,” Risi said. “They will be contacted by their probation officer

and will receive both group and individual therapy.”

To qualify for the program, participants must plead guilty to the

offense, be second- or third-time offenders, live within the

jurisdiction of the Harbor Justice Center and acknowledge that they

have a substance-abuse problem, she said. The program will not admit

those who have been convicted of serious or violent crimes or of

selling drugs, Risi said.

There is only one other similar program in the state, which is in

Northern California, she said.

“We hope this will reduce recidivism and make our communities

safer,” Risi said.

DUI Court will be held once a week in H7, the courtroom of Orange

County Superior Court Judge Carlton Biggs, who will oversee the

program.

DUI Court is a collaborative effort on the part of many agencies

to try to change the basic behavioral pattern of the repeat

offenders, said Reidel Post, executive director of the Mothers

Against Drunk Driving Orange County chapter.

“It’s important to give this a good shot here in Orange County,”

said Post, who was part of a committee that set up the new program.

It’s also important to note that unlike the Drug Court, where all

charges are dropped after the person successfully completes the

program, drunken-driving charges won’t be erased, she said.

“Instead, this program offers an additional menu of choices for

proactive work,” Post said.

Motivation for participants would probably come from a reduction

in jail time, she said.

“But this is not a cookie-cutter program,” Post said. “There are a

good number of people who have a problem with alcohol and drugs who

deserve help. They seek out help in the first place because they’ve

hit rock bottom.”

The program has the full support of local law enforcement, Newport

Beach Police Sgt. Steve Shulman said.

“We’re in favor of this program, and it is now a part of our

DUI-enforcement strategies,” he said. “We have our own methods of

enforcement, such as special DUI patrols and sobriety checkpoints.

DUI Court complements what we already have in place.”