DUI A Problem Yakima Must Start Treating Differently

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By Peter Bukowski

Story Published: Jul 22, 2010 at 5:53 PM PDT

YAKIMA COUNTY -- Mike Plaisance knows the consuming nature of alcoholism.

"The main issue for me when I was younger using substances, I just really didn't see what was going on around me. I was unable to see that myself."

Now a drug and alcohol dependency counselor, Mike is trying to get others the help he needed.

"Help works. Just incarcerating somebody just removes them for a bit and a lot of times they go right back into behaviors the same ways of dealing with things."

But too many in the Valley aren't getting help. Yakima County has the highest number of DUI deaths on the East Side of the mountains, more than Spokane or Tri-Cities.

Filings for DUI in the county are down so far this year, but prosecutor's say that's because they're taking more to trial, putting more people behind bars. The problem is, that's not changing people's behavior.

Deputy Prosecutor Therese Murphy told me the story of a man a couple years ago who was convicted of vehicular homicide. Later, his son was convicted on vehicular assault. "You'd think he learn not to drink and drive from the experience of the dad. Well that's not the case," she says.

So the County is hoping to create a DUI court, much like drug court, aimed at getting people treated. Finally, the County is admitting what we have is not a drinking and driving problem, it's a drinking problem.

"DUI's can be an intervention that causes somebody to take a look at what's going on in their lives and say 'Hey, do I like this? Is this uncomfortable? Do I want to do something different?" Mike says.

And Therese Murphy insists , "If there's not treatment we're just going to have the same problem."

It's a problem we can no longer pretend can just be arrested away.

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