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Intervention ... Treatment ... Prevention

DUI (also often referred to as DWI) courts are courts modeled after the highly successful drug court program that specifically incorporate alcoholism treatment for drunk driving offenders.  DUI courts recognize that a significant part of the drunk driving problem is a result of alcohol abuse and alcoholism.  And if we do not address the root problem of alcohol abuse and alcoholism as it relates to drunk driving, then we will never solve the problem of drunk driving.

The Problem

Despite a relatively steady decline in drunk driving fatalities since the early 1980s, drunk driving remains a persistent problem.  And the so-called "hardcore drunk driver" represents the bulk of this problem.  The Century Council defines hardcore drunk drivers "as individuals who drive with a high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or above, who do so repeatedly, as demonstrated by having more than one drunk driving arrest, and who are highly resistant to changing their behavior despite previous sanctions, treatment, or education efforts."

Most Recent Statistics (NHSTA)
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities drop to lowest level in 18 years

Steady Decline in Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities

Percent Traffic Fatalities that are Alcohol-Related

Percent Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities by BAC

Alcohol-Related Traffic Fatalities by State and BAC

A Solution

America's drug courts are working.  Taking a rehabilitative approach to justice that is based on intensive drug treatment, close supervision, and a demand for offender accountability, drug courts offload nonviolent drug offenders from traditional court systems and place them in programs designed to get them off drugs, reduce recidivism, save money, and slow the revolving door that has come to characterize the nation's criminal justice system.

The positive outcomes for drug courts beg the question:  Can the drug court model be applied with equal effectiveness to other populations?  More specifically, can it work with drunk drivers?

The evidence to date seems to indicate that the answer is "Yes".

Existing DUI Courts

Click on a link to learn more about a particular DUI court.

Arizona

Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County
Honorable David R. Cole

California

Bakersfield Municipal Court
Honorable Frank Hoover

Butte County Superior Court
Honorable Darrell Stevens

Indiana

Hancock County Superior Court II
Honorable Dan E. Marshall

New Mexico

Bernalillo County Metro Court
Honorable J. Michael Kavanaugh

Dona Ana County District Court
Honorable Regina Ryanczak Sewell

North Carolina

District Court, Charlotte
Honorable Philip F. Howerton, Jr.

Oklahoma

Payne County Drug Court
Honorable Charles Headrick

Virginia

Fredericksburg Regional DUI Court
Honorable John Stevens

This web page was created by the American Council on Alcoholism 
to serve as a resource for information about DUI courts.

 To learn more about the hardcore drunk driver, 
visit the National Hardcore Drunk Driver Project.

This web page was made possible by a grant from Coors Brewing Company.

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This page was last updated on 4-30-03.