The 52-2 District Court in Clarkston handles about 550 drunk driving cases per year, more than 200 of which involve repeat offenders.
Joe, a Brandon Township resident in his 40s who spoke with The Citizen on condition of anonymity, was one of those cases.
One night last fall, Joe went to a bar. He consumed about six to eight drinks within an hour-and-a-half to two-hour time period and then got behind the wheel, something he says he had done once or twice a week for the past couple years. He didn’t consider his alcohol use a life-threatening problem. As he says, ‘I used it, but didn’t abuse it.? He had a previous drunk driving conviction from ten years before, but otherwise had never been caught. That night he would be.
Joe left the bar and was speeding when a police officer pulled him over. A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol content of .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit. He was arrested and could have served jail time, but was given the option of participating in Sobriety Court, a new treatment-based program for 52-2 District Court, begun in November 2004. For Joe, it was an easy choice.
‘If I had taken the jail time, I probably would have lost my job,? he says. ‘Sobriety Court is better than going to jail, better for you. It’s like half being punished and half going to school.?
The goal of the program is to identify high-risk substance abuse offenders and divert them to a comprehensive and structured rehabilitation plan, focusing on promoting ongoing sobriety, personal responsibility and productive citizenship.
To be eligible for the program, defendants must be residents of the jurisdiction and be arrested within it; have an OWI conviction (alcohol or drugs) with a prior; must never have been convicted of a violent crime; and must not currently be under felony supervision for any other offense or participating in another sobriety court.
Sobriety Court Officer Mark Mathur, who oversees the program, says alcohol offenses are the number one offense the court handles and repeat drunk drivers are a big problem within the community.
‘Most of the people I’m dealing with are alcoholics,? Mathur says. ‘We can lock them up for 90 to 365 days all we want, but that will only take care of the problem for three months to a year. When they get out of jail they will return to it. They haven’t gotten any treatment or anyone in their face telling them they need to change their behavior.?
Mathur notes that Sobriety Court works because it is treatment-based. Although the 52-2 District Court Sobriety Court program is relatively new, drug courts began showing up across the country in the early 90s. Nationally, sobriety courts average a 70-percent success rate– with participants not reoffending or being terminated from the program.
Mathur currently oversees 30 participants in the Sobriety Court program. Although none have yet graduated from the 18-month program, Mathur has had to terminate only one participant, who picked up a new drunk driving charge three days after entering Sobriety Court.
The program is rigorous and requirements include regular breathalyzer tests, random urine screens, regular meetings with a probation officer, Alcoholics Anonymous attendance three times a week, counseling and 80 hours of community service. Participants must also pay all fines and costs of the program on their own.
‘It costs you a lot of money, but the alternative is losing your job,? Joe says. ‘They keep a tight rein on you, but it’s good. It keeps you from drinking and you go to AA meetings and you get the feeling that you’re getting picked on, but then you realize you’re not the only person in the world that alcohol has caused a problem for.?
When Joe entered the first phase of the program he went through two months of therapy, where he learned people drink for many different reasons.
‘I was self-medicating from a death in my family and other things going on,? he says. ‘There are other ways to deal with these problems than sticking your nose in a bottle… there are a lot of people trying to kill pain with a bottle. Physically, legally, emotionally, it can be a real drain on you. I realized it was more of a problem than I thought it was.?
Because he lost his driver’s license for a month, Joe had to get a ride or walk when he needed to work, be tested, or attend meetings.
In the second phase, one of the requirements was to attend an impact panel. Joe sat in a room for three to four hours and listened to people speak who were either injured in drunk driving accidents or have lost family members to drunk drivers. Joe called this experience an ‘eye-opener.? He recalled hearing one man’s story. The man was having a birthday party for his daughter. He had ordered pizza and because it would take too long to be delivered and the pizza place was right around the corner from their home, his wife and daughter went to pick it up. They were gone for longer than expected and when the man heard sirens, he left the party and found his wife and daughter at the scene of an accident– both killed by a drunk driver who ran a red light.
‘You don’t realize what a weapon you’re riding in,? says Joe. ‘You don’t realize what effect (drinking and driving) can have on your life and the lives of others.?
Joe is now in the third phase of the program. He continues to have random PBT testing twice a week, random urine screens twice a month, meets with a probation officer and has a review hearing once a month. He continues to attend AA three times a week and has random home visits by a probation officer and law enforcement. Addtionally, Joe has done community service for the Brandon Fire Department. He will soon write a 3-5 page letter describing his life before Sobriety Court and how his life is different now and what he will do to maintain sobriety.
‘I don’t miss drinking,? Joe says. ‘I think back on the times I did drink and it was a waste of time and money. Life’s a lot better now.?
Mathur says the success rate of sobriety courts is phenomenal, and so are the changes he has seen in people that are in the program. He acknowledges that some people deserve to go to jail, but it doesn’t usually solve anything long-term.
‘A lot of people who get into the program are at the end of their rope and it’s amazing the transtion they’ve made in their lives. We as a court will give them the tools they need to lead sober, productive lives in the community and it’s up to them to take the tools and use them to their advantage.?
Each person who participates in Sobriety Court and doesn’t go to jail also saves the county and taxpayers money– between $7,740 and $30,295 per person.
Joe hopes to graduate from the program by next April or May. It will have taken him about 18 months to complete Sobriety Court, but he says it could have been worse.
‘I could have killed or maimed someone else or myself,? he says. ‘This way you get educated, you get clean, and get to help other people in the program. It’s an important message. People think that getting drunk and having a good time doesn’t hurt anybody, but when you get behind the wheel of a car, you can hurt a lot of people.?
Joe has had the opportunity to reflect on where he has been, what he has been through, who he is and wants to be. He says he knows one thing for sure.
‘I will never drink and get behind the wheel of an automobile again,? he said. ‘The easiest way to get that done is not to drink.?