You see it almost every day, in just about any newspaper, on just about any television news station. A man or woman charged with their seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th or more offense for driving under the influence of alcohol. There’s no doubt recurring DUIs and the many unfortunate deaths they cause are plaguing communities across Montana. You’ve read that message often on the Independent Record Opinion page.
So what to do about it? For sure, many of the repeat offenders are substance abusers who will get back behind the wheel drunk no matter what. They’re oblivious to the consequences.
Yet, progress is being made. Tougher laws for driving under the influence of alcohol offenses were the top priority for the interim Law and Justice Committee coming out of the 2009 Legislature. The interim committee, made up of a bipartisan swath of legislators, met late last week and put forth several good solutions to curb the runaway state problem.
Lawmakers on Friday discussed those merits. While some — like stigmatizing repeat DUI offenders with a special-colored license plate — are a bit out there, most would give traction to the police officers and judges who are ultimately trying to keep drunk drivers off our roadways.
One such first step would be making a third-offense DUI a felony. This would open up the many treatment opportunities under the Corrections Department one offense earlier than it is now.
And we all know it only takes one instance of DUI for tragedy to strike.
The 2001 Legislature created the fourth-offense DUI as a felony conviction. At that time, Montana didn’t have lockdown treatment centers and DUI convicts crowded state prisons and sapped Corrections’ budget. In an effort to find cheaper, more effective ways to treat drunken drivers, Montana started the Warm Springs Addictions Treatment and Change program, or WATCh, in 2002. The program has made an impact, with nearly 90 percent of graduates not receiving another DUI.
The main argument against making third DUI offenses a felony and expanding this program is cost. It is estimated that implementing this would cost the state up to $3.1 million.
Another great idea would be to establish DUI courts, much like drug-specific courts, where a judge works closely with an alcoholic and, as part of sentencing, mandates stricter treatment. All that, too, would cost money.
But what’s more costly? Effectively rehabilitating a person or spitting another drunk out on our roads to kill another father, mother, husband, wife or child?
The answer couldn’t be more simple, and the Interim Law and Justice Committee needs to make several formal recommendations to the 2011 Legislature that put Montana on the road to stricter laws and better enforcement of DUI offenders.