DUI Courts In Ohio Aim To Reduce Repeat Offenders

CLEVELAND, Ohio—Specialized courts that offer intense treatment programs to repeat drunken drivers are helping to reduce recidivism in some Ohio counties.  Yet the model is still being studied to determine its effectiveness.  At the urging of the Ohio Supreme Court, six lower courts – in Marion, Richland, Clermont, Butler, Athens and Summit counties - have established DUI dockets, paid for by federal grant money.

The Akron Municipal Court began its DUI Court program in 2007 and reports a 97 percent retention rate. Only three of the 60 graduates were arrested again for drunken driving.  Melissa Knopp, manager of the Supreme Court’s specialized-dockets section, said the court hopes that treating the underlying causes of alcohol abuse will dramatically reduce recidivism and give offenders a real shot at recovery from their addictions.  “We want to determine what the offender needs to become a productive member of society and stop the revolving door into the jailhouse,“ she said.
   
In Ohio, judges can order treatment for alcohol abuse. But treatment is not mandatory until an offender earns three DUI convictions in six years.  The Akron DUI program takes about a year to complete. Like traditional probation, it requires abstinence from alcohol and participants are outfitted for an anklet that monitors blood alcohol level and alerts the court of violations.  Participants also must develop and adhere to a recovery plan, attend 12-step program meetings and complete projects that show critical thinking about their addictions.
   
In traditional courts, it is also common for judges to require that drunken drivers give up alcohol as part of their probation.  But offenders say it is no small feat to go cold-turkey in a society that embraces alcohol use in many social contexts, including ballgames and cookouts. And defense attorneys who have watched hundreds of clients fall off the wagon say some probation departments are so impersonal and overworked that offenders are most likely to fail.
   
Seven probation officers handle nearly 600 DUI probation cases for the Cleveland Municipal Court, which doesn’t have a specialized DUI court.  Deputy Chief Probation Officer Dean Jenkins said building rapport with offenders is important to developing their sense of accountability. But heavy caseloads and officers’ other responsibilities limit face time with probationers.  And when an offender fails at abstinence, the court’s usual recourse is to impose jail time - a sanction that ignores the social and psychological problems at the core of alcohol abuse, said defense attorney Mark Gardner.  That’s where DUI Courts come in, Knopp said.

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