Chair: Tara Casanova Powell (taracpc@outlook.com)

Mission Statement

To expand the awareness, adoption, and implementation of effective pretrial services, early intervention services, and treatment courts to address impaired driving around the world.

Goals of the Interest Group

 Proximal Goal: facilitate educational workshops and conference presentations identifying effective pretrial services, early intervention services, and treatment court guiding principles that may be implemented in various jurisdictions around the world.

Distal Goal: to help facilitate the implementation of these services where requested. Implementation of these services could be facilitated as potential trainings/workshops conducted for multiple countries at regional summits incorporating the knowledge and information developed from various entities in the U.S.

Member Survey

The group's initial task was to survey ICADTS members and friends to identify best practices regarding impaired driving interventions in their country. 

Initial survey responses included respondents across 14 countries. Outcomes included the following:

• ·       79% of respondents said jail is used as a current action upon arrest/conviction of an impaired driving offense.
• ·       38% of respondents indicated that no pretrial intervention programs are offered in their jurisdiction.
• ·       35% of respondents indicated that defendants are not screened and assessed for risk and needs at the pre-trial or pre-sentence stage, and 41% indicated that they didn’t know if screening occurs.
• ·       35% of respondents indicated that screening and assessment tools are not validated for impaired driving, and 47% indicated that they didn’t know if screening and assessment tools are validated.
• ·       52% of respondents indicated that no testing is conducted to monitor impaired driving offenders pre-trial, and 33% indicated that they didn’t know if monitoring occurs.

These are just a few of the initial responses, but given these responses there is a clear need for education and training in this regard. IDBIIIG is looking to gather this information from additional jurisdictions/states/countries for a more robust baseline to inform the development of IDBIIIG education and training efforts.

IDBIIIG appreciates any information you may have to share and encourages you to contact the Chair, Tara Casanova Powell, taracpc@outlook.com. IDBIIIG thanks you in advance for your help in gathering this important information.

Stay tuned for the full results of the survey.