DWI court aims to reduce repeat offenses.
DWI court aims to reduce repeat offenses.
A Western New Mexico county is developing a new specialized court aimed at helping people convicted of drunken driving and drug offenses, according to U.S. News and World Report.
McKinley County and Magistrate Judge Virginia Yazzie have been drafting plans for a specialized DWI drug court to aid offenders in becoming sober and to reduce repeat offenders. This program would be groundbreaking for the state of New Mexico.
“Officials with the county's Administrative Office of the Courts said the details of the program have yet to be sorted out, but the program will be molded over the next month to suit the needs of McKinley County,” reported the U.S. News and World Report.
Robert Mitchell, senior statewide program manager for Problem Solving Courts, told U.S. News and World Report that there has been much research invested into drug and alcohol-related courts over the past two decades and that the rate of success has been a positive sign, leading to their decision.
“One thing we do know is just arresting people doesn’t work,” Mitchell told the paper. “We see people come through our system over and over again. We can’t arrest our way out of this problem. Drug courts are just one tool in the toolbox.”
Mitchell indicated the numbers have shown that drug courts are twice as effective in reducing recidivism than sending an offender to prison. It also costs four times less than prison.
Judge Yazzie, county officials and city leaders are excited to push the program forth and make a change for the better.
“We’re going to make an impact on these individuals and ultimately the entire community,” said Yazzie in a statement.
The New Mexico Department of Transportation's Traffic Safety Division will reportedly fund the program for its first three years.
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