NHTSA/NCJA Criminal Justice Summit on Impaired Driving

Summit Recommendations: Challenges and Solutions

 

Research conducted by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) provided a starting point for the identification of problems and solutions to improve the handling of impaired driving offenders in the enforcement, prosecution and adjudication phases. TIRF representatives presented the findings of their research to the multidisciplinary work groups prior to meeting in their respective groups and the findings served as a springboard for their discussions.  They were asked to select priorities from among the problems identified in the research and identify additional problems or challenges that need to be addressed.  The work groups also reviewed the solutions presented in the research and made additional recommendations for improving the criminal justice system's handling of impaired drivers.

Disclaimer

Overarching System Solutions

Leadership

Recommendations for Enforcement Recommendations for Prosecution Recommendations for Adjudication

Over all other recommendations came a compelling call for strong, sustained national leadership to bring the issue once again to the forefront of the national agenda, similar to the national leadership and priority it received in the 1980s.  The recommendations indicated that leadership to address DWI offenders should come from federal, state and local officials—starting with the President and extending to every governor and attorney general, on through the criminal justice system components and to local law enforcement officials.  With this national leadership should come the commitment of resources to get the job done. Leadership from the top will not only help to produce the necessary resources and action on the issue, but will also help elevate public awareness and concern to change behavior in society.  Leadership also should come from advocacy groups and the media who can help inform legislators of the issues and help to increase public awareness that repeat and high BAC DWI offenders have compounded the problem of DWI. Within and across the various criminal justice disciplines, leaders should maintain regular contact through forums and summits to ensure the issue remains a priority in the states and in each discipline.

Partnership Building and Collaborations

Relationship building and collaboration among all sectors of the criminal justice system came as the second overall solution identified in the Summit recommendations.  This call came not only for improved partnerships within the criminal justice system but also between the criminal justice system and other organizations, professional communities, and groups that come into regular contact with DWI offenders and their victims.  For example, an area in need of more collaboration between criminal justice professionals was identified when prosecutors, defense attorneys and toxicologists made a plea to be included in efforts to prevent and control impaired driving. There also was discussion about linking prosecutors and enforcement in training efforts. Another area where partnerships could be strengthened was emphasized when discussions at the enforcement phase called for new public service announcements that reflect hard facts about the consequences of drinking and driving--including statistics on repeat DWI offenders.

Recommendations indicated that partnership building within and outside the criminal justice system will promote better management of and uniformity in the DWI system through increased opportunities for information sharing, cross training, and leveraging of resources.  From outside the system, recommendations were made to involve the media, citizen organizations, and schools to educate the public and raise urgency of the issue. More networking among key stakeholders in the fight against impaired driving is critical.  Summits such as this NHTSA/NCJA criminal justice summit on impaired driving can serve as important tools for re-energizing groups, sharing information, identifying gaps, and developing strategies to move beyond traditional solutions and problem solving efforts. Through these discussions it became clear that doing the same things with the same parts of the criminal justice system will not impact a significant reduction in alcohol related crashes and fatalities. Rather the entire criminal justice system must be a part of the solution and resources must be provided to all components in innovative and strategic ways.