Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Employment, In-House Services Lead to Success for DWI Court

A gavel, an alcoholic drink and car keys.

Offenders from a Texas DWI court were more likely to succeed in the program if they were employed and followed curriculum developed and delivered by local criminal justice and treatment professionals, a study at Sam Houston State University found.

The study, one of only two evaluations of the effectiveness of DWI courts in Texas, focused on Williamson County with a population of 400,000. Its 12-month program integrates local criminal justice resources, active case management and alcohol treatment for targeted offenders in lieu of incarceration. The program is divided into three phases -- treatment and close supervision, aftercare supervision, and maintenance.

Offenders who participated in the Williamson County DWI Court program between 2006 and 2011 had significantly lower recidivism rates than those incarcerated on the second DWI offense. In the DWI Court, the recidivism rate was 2.5 percent, compared to 6.3 percent among the jail population. . . . Read more . . .

No comments:

Post a Comment