While no one who drives under the influence (DUI) wants to get caught, many do. And once that happens, people’s lives can unravel, leaving them with little hope for the future. One north Georgia court has worked for a decade to reverse that trend.
The Hall County DUI court, one of three Georgia pilot programs, celebrated ten years of success on Thursday, March 14, 2013. According to AccessNorthGa.com, Hall County was selected to introduce a new way of dealing with DUI arrests.
Currently presiding over the court, Judge Larry Baldwin said that, “one of the main goals is to reduce recidivism—how many people get DUIs—and try to keep them from getting new DUIs.” Baldwin and former Judge Charles Wynne saw a ten-percent reduction in repeat offenders over the first three to five years of the program.
Even though offenders do not like the program, it is certainly helping to change and even save lives. The program runs for 15 months. Those participating must participate in a treatment program, attend Alcohol Anonymous meetings, meet with Judge Baldwin in court, and report by phone daily to see if they must be randomly tested that day.
Baldwin says that the program, created mainly for alcohol abuse, has been changing due to the increased abuse of prescription drugs. However he said, “I’m very committed to this program. I find it rewarding because sometimes you sentence someone and then you don’t know if they succeed or fail in the future. With this program, I get to see these DUI offenders at least once a month . . . and see how they progress, and I find that to be rewarding.”
The ten-year anniversary was celebrated with the graduation of 12 program participants and a speech by Judge Wynne, who was the sitting judge for the first eight years of the program.
For more information on this and other DUI matters in Georgia, contact the Law office of Scott Miller.
