DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Offenders and Mental Health Service Providers - A Shotgun Marriage? (From Drunk Driving in America, P 163-168, 1986, Stephen K Valle, ed. - See NCJ-104432)

• NCJ Number: 104444
• Author(s): H Rosenberg; B Spiller
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 6 pages
• Sale Source: Haworth Press, Inc
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Although the increasing numbers of assessment, education, and rehabilitation programs being developed by mental health agencies to serve convicted drunk drivers have important benefits, they will prove to be an inadequate and temporary solution to the problem unless ethical, legal, financial, and quality concerns are addressed.

Abstract

Community mental health centers, private practitioners, and private, for-profit providers are all offering diversion and probation programs. These programs offer the potential for reducing recidivism, but adequate evaluations do not yet exist. In addition, mental health personnel are not yet providing uniformly reliable and accurate diagnostic procedures. Furthermore, the lack of consistent effectiveness of any method of alcohol treatment raises questions about relying on the mental health system for treating offenders with alcohol disorders. The potentially large amounts of money to be made through assessment and program fees raise the potential of a conflict of interest in providers who assess offenders' needs for further rehabilitation. Mental health workers also need to be clear about whether their role is to advocate for the offender or whether the criminal justice system's need for information and society's need for protection are the highest priorities. Finally, transferring offenders from the criminal justice system to the mental health system may result in the loss of due process protections or permit offenders to escape or reduce their legal punishments. 4 references.