NCJ Number
119578
Date Published
Unknown
Length
25 pages
Annotation
These guidelines explain the purpose and nature of victim impact panels for drunk drivers and potential drunk drivers and give step-by-step instructions for organizing such a program.
Abstract
These panels were developed as a result of the view that drunk drivers and potential drunk drivers need to hear what happens to the victims of drunk driving crashes. Most offenders who have gone to traditional schools for drunk drivers find them boring and a waste of time, and few criminal justice programs offer a meaningful approach to combat drunk driving except for offenders deemed alcoholic and in need of treatment. In addition, victims and families have been excluded from the judicial process. To accomplish this goal, chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving or other victim groups select a panel of three or four victims to speak briefly about the drunk driving crashes in which they were injured or in which a loved one was killed, and about how the crash has affected their lives and families. They do not blame or judge those who attend the panel. A coordinator moderates the panel to monitor time and other factors. The victims do not interact with offenders and do not speak to groups in which their own offender is present. Judges or probation officers require convicted drunk driving offenders to attend a panel as an element of their sentences, although it does not replace conventional sentencing. The guidelines cover the steps in obtaining judicial support, including the formation of a steering committee, selection of a site, development of procedures, selection of speakers, preparation of speakers, presentations, and evaluations. Sample forms.