New program could reduce charges in some Green Valley DUI cases

After an increase in driving under the influence charges, Green Valley Justice Court has introduced a new DUI program that aims to reduce recidivism and promote recovery for first-time offenders.

The court has developed a DUI program that will allow selected participants to go through a treatment plan thanks to a change in state law. Once the treatment plan is completed, the individual’s charge will be reduced from DUI to reckless driving.

In 2020, DUI cases at Green Valley Justice Court had gone down and hit a low, court administrator Kristen Randall said. However, cases began to rise in 2021 and skyrocketed in 2022.

Now with the help of the new program, first-time offenders who are residents of Pima County and don’t have any violent criminal convictions are provided the opportunity to go through a five-phase treatment plan.

During the five phases, participants will go to individualized therapy, group therapy, be regularly tested for alcohol and drugs,8 and attend bi-weekly check-ins with Justice of the Peace Ray Carroll.

Throughout the plan, which can take anywhere from six to 12 months to complete, the individual can receive incentives to help encourage them during recovery. Once they complete a phase, they may be awarded a reduction in their fines, have decreased court appearances or win gift certificates, the DUI program handbook says.

Once the program is completed, the individual will graduate, and the DUI charge will be reduced. Randall said the change of the charge can be really helpful for people when it comes to background checks.

“If you are a young person that doesn’t want to start off your life with a DUI on your record, that can be really big,” Randall said.

So far, Randall said one person has been enrolled in the program and three others are still figuring out if the program is a right fit for them. Since it is a pilot program, the court has capped it at 20 participants at a time.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

“If the program blooms and grows depends upon a charter year review filled with quantifiable case studies showing it made a difference,” Carroll said in a news release. “The program can succeed by defendants making a clean start with drug and alcohol counseling appointments including testing and monitoring weekly.”

The program will be the first of its kind in Arizona because its participants haven’t been formally charged. While there are other DUI programs in the state, those participants have been charged and do not get their DUI charge reduced at the end of the program, Randall said.

When developing the DUI program, Randall said court officials did about six months of research, pulling heavily from Pima County Superior Court’s Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison program. They also worked with both the county prosecutor’s and public defender’s offices.

Since there are no other pre-adjudicated DUI programs in the state, Randall said they worked with out-of-state courts with similar programs as well as the National Center for DWI Courts. Those were able to offer helpful advice, answer questions and send examples of workbooks.

Data from those courts show DUI programs like the one started here are “extremely effective.” A Michigan study found that participants were 19 times less likely to be re-arrested for another impaired-driving offense than those who were processed through a traditional court, according to the NCDC website.

With the implementation of this new program, Randall says she hopes to see recidivism drop and wants to build a model for other courts in Arizona to follow.

“Now is absolutely the time to follow the data and scientific best practices when dealing with increases in criminal charges due to intense stress, substance use disorder, and alcoholism,” Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said in a news release. “Now more than ever, we must come together as a whole system of justice to promote community health and safety. We applaud Green Valley for their tenacity and determination.”