Sobering Up

On the 25th anniversary of our nation’s deadliest alcohol-impaired driving crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a new set of alcohol-impaired driving recommendations. The most notable recommendation is gaining a lot of attention: Reducing the maximum Blood Alcohol Content from 0.08 BAC to 0.05 BAC in all 50 states. These 19 recommendations are [...]

On April 29th North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple signed a new piece of DUI legislation that officials say with substantially strengthen North Dakota’s drunk driving laws. House Bill 1302, which goes into effect August 1st,  increases the fines for DUI convictions, increases jail time for second and subsequent offenses, and requires repeat DUI offenders to [...]

In the UK it is estimated that 2.6 million children live with a parent whose drinking puts them at risk of neglect, and 705,000 live with a dependent drinker. What does this mean for a family? Alcohol plays a part in 25-33% of known cases of child abuse, alcohol use is a contributor in a [...]

The discussion about impaired driving in Colorado has recently focused on the issue of drugged driving with the passage of Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana in the state of Colorado in 2012. Since passage of the law, criminal justice stakeholders, the state law enforcement community, highway safety community, and the medical marijuana industry have been [...]

Family Drug Court Grants The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has announced March 25th, 2013, as the deadline to apply for a FY 2013 Family Drug Court Program grant. The purpose of the grant program is to expand the capacity of family drug courts through the establishment of new courts or expansion [...]

Today the Huffington Post posted an article from West Huddleston, CEO of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. Huddleston uses the widely publicized case of actress Lindsay Lohan as a cautionary tale in the debate between punishment and treatment in the criminal justice system. Lindsay Lohan: Punishment or Treatment addresses the perception that Drug [...]

The National Center for State Courts is in preparations to begin the first-ever NCSC Problem-Solving Court Census, a database of contact information for all justice-system programs that focus on the underlying chronic behaviors of those who appear before the court. Officials are asking for the court community’s help to ensure that all such courts are represented. [...]

One of the most noteworthy newsmakers this year in the fight against Impaired Driving came out of South Dakota, when the RAND Corporation published the first peer-reviewed, longitudinal study of the state’s highly publicized 24/7 Sobriety Program.

While 2008 was the launch of the first court docket specifically designed for military combat veterans, 2012 has been a dynamic year for Veterans Treatment Courts. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the U.S. Veterans Administration, and an endless list of both military and civilian organizations now actively support and promote Veterans Treatment Courts, which are designed to tackle a previously under-served population: U.S. combat veterans who return to a life of emotional challenges, substance abuse, homelessness, unemployment, and eventually, crime.

Courts Tout Success Stories During Impaired Driving Prevention Month in December As we prepare to ring in the New Year, The National Center for DWI Courts can reflect upon real progress made in 2012 to save lives by reducing drunk driving.Simply put, the number of DWI Courts has gone up, and new statistics show the [...]