NCJ Number
162357
Date Published
1996
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This video encourages and instructs judges in becoming involved "beyond the bench" in communitywide efforts to address juvenile drug-impaired driving.
Abstract
Using primarily comments by two judges as well as chart outlines, this video provides practical guidelines for judges in assuming a leadership role in improving a community's response to juvenile drug-impaired driving. A judge in Spotsylvania County, Va., describes how she has assumed a leadership role in mounting a community strategy against juvenile drug-impaired driving. She convened an open public meeting that led to the formation of a coalition to develop a strategy for reducing juvenile drunk driving in the county. Video comments note that judges do not compromise their neutrality in such community action, since it is an effort commensurate with a judge's role in seeking compliance with the law. Another area of judicial action discussed is court intake. The judge is encouraged to communicate with intake officers about how juveniles charged with DUI are to be managed. Judges are also instructed in how they can make their dispositions of drunk-driving cases more effective. One means is to solicit evaluations of the various treatment options available to juveniles convicted of drunk driving. This can be done by having meetings with representatives of the various treatment programs used and also by convening review hearings in which feedback on treatment is solicited from offenders. In conclusion, the video encourages judges to include in various judicial training sessions guidelines for leadership in a community response to juvenile drunk driving. A guide for planning and conducting a discussion group in association with the video is included.