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
