County Courts Plan To Give Aid To Drunk Drivers, Not Just Time

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Story Published: Nov 10, 2009 at 7:47 PM PDT

By Peter Bukowski

YAKIMA -- Drunk drivers have cops busy all over Yakima County. It has the courts even busier, and it seems like the same faces keep coming back.

District Court Judge Donald Engel sees plenty of these cases. "It seems like they kinda fall into two categories. We get the person who's the one time offender. They realize they can't do that anymore. They stop. You don't see them again. Then you have the multiple offenders, the 3,4,5."

But the courts say this isn't a driving problem. It's an alcohol problem, and that's the issue they want to focus on.

"Once we get these people arrested, instead of just fining them and putting them in jail, prove them treatment and accountability," says Court Administrator Harold Delia, "The second, third, fourth time offender, has a serious drug or alcohol problem. You can't fix that by just locking them up."

That's why Yakima County is looking at creating a DUI court, specifically for treating these repeat drunk drivers.

"You have them in court weekly, intensively, follow what they're doing, supervise them to make sure they're in treatment, staying sober, and hopefully that gets them off the cycle. We don't have to keep seeing them in court," Engel says.

And if you can get these people help, they won't be back in court. That could bring huge savings to the system.

"So what you're doing is really cutting your cost to about a 1/3 of what it would cost continually moving these people through the system," Delia says.

Saving the courts money, but also getting these people's lives back on the right road.

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