Mission Statement
The mission of the DUI Court Program is to enhance public safety by reducing recidivism of DUI offenders by breaking the cycle of addiction through a combination of individualized treatment, personal accountability and intensive court supervision to promote individual responsibility and citizenship and return a productive member back to the community.
Introduction
The DeKalb County DUI Court Program is a post-conviction treatment program for individuals that have multiple violations of driving under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants. It Is a part of the probation portion of a DUI sentence. The DUI Court is a team concept involving judges, program director, prosecutor, public defender/defense attorney, probation officer, law enforcement, case manager, treatment coordinator and substance abuse treatment professionals. All members work together to support the participants in addressing and combating substance abuse issues that resulted in the placement in the criminal justice system. The program involves enhanced supervision, counseling, and treatment for the individual to function in the community with continuing support. The program goal is to achieve sobriety of all program participants in order to improve the quality of their lives, eliminate future violations of the law, and enhance public safety. All defendants accepted into the program are assigned to and supervised by State Court Judges Alvin T. Wong, Kimberly K. Anderson and Ana Maria Martinez.
Operating Structure
The DUI Court Program’s office (hereinafter referred to as the Treatment facility) is located at 3630 Camp Circle, Suite 101, Decatur, Georgia 30032. The Program Director, Treatment Coordinator, Counselors/Group Facilitators, Probation Officer, Laboratory Technician/Screener, Administrative Assistant and Case Manager are all located at the DUI Court Program office. All staff at this location are contract employees, with the exception of the Probation Officer, Case Manager, Program Director and Treatment Coordinator. Judge Alvin T. Wong, Kimberly K. Anderson and Judge Ana Maria Martinez along with the Probation Department and the Solicitor-General’s office are located at 556 N. McDonough Street, Decatur, Georgia 30030 and the Public Defender’s office is located at 320 Church Street, Decatur, Georgia 30030.
The Participants benefit by having the majority of the DUI Court Team at their disposal, considering that most of team are located at the Program office. All Participants report to the Treatment facility no less than three times per week for group sessions, drug screens, individual appointments and clerical purposes and have regular contact with the DUI Court staff.
Eligible offenders who are accepted in the DUI Court Program are required to meet special conditions of probation that appropriately support the goals of recovery for Program Participants. Under the supervision of the DUI Court Judges, Participants participate in a structured three (3) track Program with each track having four (4) phases each. Each phase requires treatment, random alcohol/drug testing, supervision and court appearances. Participants will spend a minimum of fifteen (15) months in the program.
The DUI Court Program recognizes the powerful influence of substance abuse as a driver of behavior and that recovery from addiction is vital to community safety and individual accountability. The Program leverages four characteristics as its foundation for support toward the Participant’s recovery; 1) Unique involvement of the DUI Court Program Judges; 2) A non-adversarial, collaborative approach to treatment; 3) Recognition, rewards, and positive reinforcement for progress; 4) Rapid imposition of negative sanctions as incentives to promote compliance and modify negative behaviors.