NCJ Number
113728
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This videotape describes Suffolk County's (New York) program for chronic Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) offenders which combines confinement in a correction-treatment facility with 3-5 years of intensive probation.
Abstract
The program provides a sentencing option for multiple DWI offenders who would otherwise be jailed. Located in a reduced security facility, the DWI Alternative Program requires that offenders participate daily in rigorous group and individual counseling sessions which focus on breaking down denial of alcoholism. Guest speakers from other county and private agencies and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings are important elements in the regime. Interviews with staff highlight the need for regular discussion among treatment and corrections staff, while inmates' accounts demonstrate problems of alcoholics and the program's impact. Discharge planning and community support services are examined, with attention to the vital role of AA.