Congratulations In Order For Michigan’s Sobriety Court

Last week , a press conference was held in Lansing, Michigan at the State Capitol, where the results of the third year of a five-year study of Michigan’s DWI/Sobriety Courts / Ignition Interlock program were released.  Michigan’s sobriety court started the Ignition Interlock Initiative four years ago. This program allows repeat DWI offenders to keep their license while they are undergoing sobriety rehabilitation.

Judge Harvey Hoffman, 56th Judicial District, Eaton County has been primarily responsible for advocating for DWI/Sobriety court legislation, the use of Photo Identification Camera device Ignition interlocks and providing for a study of the results.

Dr. Christopher A. Kierkus and Dr. Brian R. Johnson from Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Michigan, were the authors of the study and available to discuss their research results.  The project was funded by the Michigan Association of Drug Court Professionals.

The findings indicate that offenders who were in Michigan’s Sobriety Court and had Ignition Interlock Devices (IIDs) on their vehicles had fewer instances of DWI recidivism or other crimes and fewer relapses into using alcohol and controlled substances than repeat offenders who did not have IIDs.

The success of the program stems from a reward system that allows offenders to continue driving, as long as they are sober.  Floyd Brandt is a graduate of Michigan’s sobriety court’s treatment program. Two years of hard work through the program helped him recover from his 3 DUI offenses and to, “see what I was doing, give myself some time, let the chemicals, the drugs get out of my system. And look back and see what kind of destruction I was doing to my life,” said Brandt.

The success of the program stems from a reward system that allows offenders to continue driving, as long as they are sober.  And for a construction worker like Brandt who has to drive more than 40,000 miles each year,”the license is huge. I really appreciate these people, the senate and the congress to try to get our driver’s license back.”

Allowing offenders access to cars acts as a powerful incentive, in fact, so powerful that those with the initiative are 1.5 times more likely to successfully completely the program.

“They are motivated to have their licenses and also I think it’s somewhat easy for them to complete the program because they have their license to go to court, go to treatment, they can go to testing and so on,” said Judge Harvey Hoffman, 56th Judicial District, Eaton County.

As a proud graduate of the program, Brandt says, “it has direction. It has direction in forcing people to not drink and drive,”

Due to the success of the program, it will be expanding to all 30 sobriety courts in the state.

Under laws like the one that took effect in Michigan in January 2011, and expanded in December 2013, DWI/Sobriety Court judges can order repeat DWI offenders to install an ignition interlock device on their vehicle; these devices require an individual to blow into their ignition interlock, which measures whether the person has alcohol, if the device detects alcohol, the vehicle will not start.

Debra Coffey, Vice President of Government Affairs, with Smart Start Ignition Interlock was on hand at the state capitol in Lansing to congratulate and thank Judge Harvey Hoffman, the Michigan Sobriety Court Judges and the Michigan Legislature for their leadership and courage to make the roads safer in Michigan and save lives.