DUI  COURTS  WEB  SITE 

Bernalillo County Metro Court

Honorable J. Michael Kavanaugh
401 Roma NW
Albuquerque, NM  87102
(505) 841-8193

The Bernalillo County Metropolitan DWI/Drug Court is designed with one main goal in mind: to reduce recidivism.

The DWI/Drug Court is a comprehensive, court-supervised treatment program for alcohol and other drug dependent/addicted defendants. It is a voluntary program, which includes regular contact with the Probation Officer as well as regular court appearances before the DWI/Drug Court Judge. Subsidized treatment, which will be provided by Life Choices, includes both individual and group counseling, random drug and alcohol testing, acupuncture, and wellness education. Participants will also be provided with assistance in furthering their education, employment skills, and job placement. Program length will be determined by each participant’s progress.

With the continuing problem of substance abuse in Albuquerque and New Mexico, the DWI/Drug Court possesses the necessary components to have a positive impact on both the victim and the offender through the reduction in the rate of recidivism.

In collaboration with local, state, and federal agencies, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan DWI/Drug Court Program’s primary focus is to promote the public safety and reduce the recidivism rates for individual convicted of subsequent abuse problems. The results of addressing these problems includes a reduction in drug and alcohol related crimes as well as expensive incarceration costs while returning a productive individual to the community.

The Bernalillo County Metropolitan DWI/Drug Court Program consists of three phases with the first phase being the most intensive and focusing on substance abuse education and prevention. Participants are required to report in person to their probation officer twice per week, provide at least two random drug tests per week, attend treatment at least twice per week, and appear before the DWI/Drug Court Judge twice per month. Participants are also required to attend at least on 12-step meeting per week for the duration of the program. Upon entering the program, participants are required to complete 16 acupuncture sessions as well.

The requirements of Phase II are much the same as Phase I with the exceptions of one less contact per week with the Probation Officer and the participant is required to appear before the DWI/Drug Court Judge once per month. Additional requirements involved in this phase of the program include attending the victim impact panel and completing ten hours of community service.

In Phase III of the program, the participant is required to appear monthly before the DWI/Drug Court Judge and meet with the Probation officer every other week. The participant is also required to complete 20 hours of community service. Community service hours are performed at a nonprofit agency selected by both the participant and the Probation Officer in an attempt to appropriately place the participant in a position of service which is not only going to help repay the community but also to make the participant aware of individuals who could have possibly suffered as a direct result of the participant’s crime.

Participants found to have violated conditions of the program will be sanctioned by the DWI/Drug Court Judges as soon as possible. Sanctions include a mandatory appearance before the DWI/Drug Court Judge, a reduction in points and/or incarceration.

Services Provided

• Intensive Supervision
• Substance Abuse Counseling
• Random drug testing at least twice per week
• Acupuncture
• Regular attendance before the DWI/Drug Court Judge
• Educational Programs
• Family and Parenting Skills
• Employment/Job Development Training
• Community Service
• Aftercare Program
• Mentorship Program

In response to the serious drug and alcohol problem our community faces, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan DWI/Drug Court Program was implemented by Chief Judge J. Michael Kavanaugh in July of 1997.

The Bernalillo County Metropolitan DWI/Drug Court Program is a post-conviction, pre-sentence, voluntary program that utilizes a multifaceted approach. The three-phase program consists of intensive supervision of clients by probation officers, frequent appearances before the DWI/Drug Court Judge, mandatory drug and alcohol counseling, regular attendance at self-help groups (AA, NA, or CA), and random drug testing. Upon program completion, the Program offers aftercare treatment and a mentorship program.

Taking into consideration the number of alcohol-related offenses and the significant costs these violations cause our community, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan DWI/Drug Court Program has become primarily an alcohol based program. Individuals with alcohol problems are required to meet the same strict requirements of the "drug court model" that other substance abusers in the program are mandated to complete. In short, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan DWI/Drug Court Program treats a drug as a drug and an addict as an addict, regardless of the drug choice.

   Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court DWI/Drug Court Statistics

Next DUI Court:  Dona Ana, NM

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

This page was last updated on 4-30-2003.