CLARK COUNTY THERAPEUTIC SPECIALTY COURTS

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1 0 G u i d i n g P r i n c i p l e s o f D W I C o u r t s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 14 Determine the Population—Targeting is the process of identifying a subset of the DWI offender population for inclusion in the DWI court program. This is a complex task given that DWI courts, in comparison to traditional drug court programs, accept only one type of offender: the person who drives while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The DWI court target population, therefore, must be clearly defined, with eligibility criteria clearly documented. Perform a Clinical Assessment—A clinically competent objective assessment of the impaired-driving offender must address a number of bio-psychosocial domains including alcohol use severity and drug involvement, the level of needed care, medical and mental health status, extent of social support systems, and individual motivation to change. Without clearly identifying a client’s needs, strengths, and resources along each of these important bio-psychosocial domains, the clinician will have considerable difficulty in developing a clinically sound treatment plan. Develop the Treatment Plan—Substance dependence is a chronic, relapsing condition that can be effectively treated with the right type and length of treatment regimen. In addition to having a substance abuse problem, a significant proportion of the DWI population also suffers from a variety of co-occurring mental health disorders. Therefore, DWI courts must carefully select and implement treatment practices demonstrated through research to be effective with the hard-core impaired driver to ensure long-term success. Supervise the Offender—Driving while intoxicated presents a significant danger to the public. Increased supervision and monitoring by the court, probation department, and treatment provider must occur as part of a coordinated strategy to intervene with repeat and high-risk DWI offenders and to protect against future impaired driving. Forge Agency, Organization, and Community Partnerships—Partnerships are an essential component of the DWI court model as they enhance credibility, bolster support, and broaden available resources. Because the DWI court model is built on and dependent upon a strong team approach, both within the court and beyond, the court should solicit the cooperation of other agencies, as well as community organizations to form a partnership in support of the goals of the DWI court program. Take a Judicial Leadership Role—Judges are a vital part of the DWI court team. As leader of this team, the judge’s role is paramount to the success of the Drug court program. The judge must also possess recognizable leadership skills as well as the capability to motivate team members and elicit buy-in from various stakeholders. The selection of the judge to lead the DWI court team, therefore, is of utmost importance. Develop Case Management Strategies—Case management, the series of inter-related functions that provides for a coordinated team strategy and seamless collaboration across the treatment and justice systems, is essential for an integrated and effective DWI court program. Address Transportation Issues—Though nearly every state revokes or suspends a person’s driving license upon conviction for a DUI offense, the loss of driving privileges poses a significant issue for those individuals involved in a DWI/Drug Court program. In many cases, the participant solves the transportation problem created by the loss of their driver’s license by driving anyway and taking a chance that he or she will not be caught. With this knowledge, the court must caution the participant against taking such chances in the future and to alter their attitude about driving without a license. Evaluate the Program—To convince “stakeholders” about the power of DWI court, program designers must design a DWI court evaluation model capable of documenting behavioral change and linking that change to the program’s existence. A credible evaluation is the only mechanism for mapping the road to program success or failure. To prove whether a program is efficient and effective requires the assistance of a competent evaluator, an understanding of and control over all relevant variables that can systematically contribute to behavioral change, and a commitment from the DWI court team to rigorously abide by the rules of the evaluation design. Ensure a Sustainable Program—The foundation for sustainability is laid, to a considerable degree, by careful and strategic planning. Such planning includes considerations of structure and scale, organization and participation and, of course, funding. Becoming an integral and proven approach to the DWI problem.
D i s t r i c t c o u r t S u b s t a n c e a b u s e / D U I c o u r t Substance Abuse Court, the longest standing specialty court in District Court, continues to help our participants change their lives and watch the victories of gaining back family, jobs, trust, and self-worth. In July, The Honorable Vernon L. Schreiber took over the program and now sits at the helm navigating through the rough waters of difficult budget decisions and through the smooth sailing waters of seeing the program help save lives. Many of our participants are very talented in the creative arts and can represent or depict their struggles and accomplishments through other expressions. We ask our participants to present some form of art in the first month of the program that describes their addiction/alcoholism and how they ―got here‖ to our alternative treatment court. In contrast, we also ask our participants to present us a second piece of artistic expression at their graduation to represent their recovery. With permission, some of our participants‘ initial assignments, expressing their own representation Active Caseload December 31, 2010 49 Opted In 26 Graduated 17 Drug-free Babies Born 2 Opted Out 15 Terminated 17 Active Caseload January 1, 2009 59 Work Crew/Community Service Assigned (In days) 312.50 Value of Hours $23,437.50 Number of Graduates to Date from SAC program 101 Many of the SAC participants mention several accomplishments during their journey: Returning back to union work Reinstating nursing license Reunification with children becoming a mother Getting married Enrolling in college Reinstating driving privileges Attending national recovery conferences Ending their chronic homelessness 15
Page 1: C l a r k c o u n t y t h e r a p e
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Page 11 and 12: S U C C E S S I S M O R E T H A N M
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Page 17 and 18: G o v. G r e g o i r e A p p o i n
Page 19 and 20: Year 1 Statistics for the DUI Court
Page 21 and 22: the vehicle to wake up the driver.
Page 23 and 24: S u p e r i o r c o u r t J u v e n
Page 25 and 26: P R O - S O C I A L A C T I V I T E
Page 27 and 28: The JRC graduations have almost tri
Page 29 and 30: JRC youth speak about their accompl
Page 31 and 32: S u p e r i o r c o u r t F a m i l
Page 33 and 34: F A M I L Y T R E A T M E N T C O U
Page 35 and 36: “We have a long, successful histo
Page 37 and 38: Below is an excerpt from a letter o
Page 39 and 40: M E N T A L H E A L T H C O U R T S
Page 41 and 42: t h e r a p e u t i c s p e c i a l
Page 43 and 44: cerated repeatedly, I used up my ho
Page 45 and 46: P R O C L A M A T I O N d e c l a r
Page 47 and 48: Clark County Courts KAUFFMAN AVE W

CLARK COUNTY THERAPEUTIC SPECIALTY COURTS

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