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Las Vegas Court Continues Fight Against Drunk Driving with New Grant

Clark County Receives $50k Grant for DUI Treatment Program

In a Press Release issued late last month, Clark County announced it had received a $50,000 grant from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT).  The grant, which was passed through the Nevada Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety was, to continue their DUI Treatment Program.

Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is a serious problem across all 50 states.  A major focus for many courts is to reduce the overall recidivism rate, those which reoffend.  Collaborative courts, such as Las Vegas’s DUI Treatment Court, have seen a dramatic reduction with the use of “alcohol/drug monitoring technology, random observed alcohol/drug testing, house arrest and the use of timely and appropriate sanctions for non-compliance.”

The Las Vegas Justice Court’s DUI Treatment Program was implemented in 2003.  According to the press release, the program had a retention rate of 97 percent and less than 2 percent recidivism.  The focus is on dealing with the underlying problem.  Many participants fail to realize that they have a problem with alcohol even after an arrest for drunk driving.  It is not until they are required to enter the program and remain sober that they see the issue.  DUI Treatment Programs regularly work to treat substance abuse disorders such as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and even address mental illness or other issues.  There is usually a team of people from different agencies working together to help people successfully complete the program.

With the $50,000 grant, the DUI Treatment Court at Las Vegas Justice Court will continue their work into 2020 and years to come.  The hope is to continually target repeat drunk drivers, getting them off the roads and into treatment.