DUI recovery program would allow offenders to keep driver licenses


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OGDEN — A pilot program starting in Weber County would allow DUI offenders to keep their driver licenses and avoid jail time — if they can stay sober 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It may sound like a radical change, but officials at the sheriff's office say the program has been proven in South Dakota and Montana.

According to the Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Nate Hutchinson, the state of Montana saw a 15-percent reduction in the number of DUIs with the program, and a 70-percent drop for repeat offenders.

To ensure complete sobriety, Hutchinson said the DUI offenders in the program have to take a breathalyzer test twice a day, seven days a week.

"If they do test positive, they're kicked out of the program and the original sentence is reinstated. It's zero-tolerance once they're in the program," the lieutenant said.

A judge would have the discretion to choose which offenders qualify for it, and those who do will be responsible for paying for the program themselves.

Typically in Utah, when you get a DUI conviction, your license is taken away for anywhere from 30 to 90 days. The hope is that this program would give those convicted some motivation to correct what went wrong and avoid drinking and driving in the future.

"The idea being that we want to help (DUI offenders) ... and this shows them the footsteps they need to do to be successful," Hutchinson said.

But Mark Kastleman, executive director at Action Recovery group, urges caution in moving forward with the program. He says the road to recovery isn't the same for everyone.

"Sometimes the threat of a DUI can really get (a person) on track. But in most cases, you know, it's one or two or three (DUIs)," Kastleman said.

Because of his work helping drug and alcohol addicts, and his recovery from addition, Kastleman knows a lot about rock bottom.

"It took decades for me to get to the place where I was ready to really get serious recovery," he said.

Kastleman agrees that the program could be a good thing, as long as the addicts — those who really need help — aren't forgotten. Some people, he said, may need the jail time to really hit rock bottom.

"(Jail can be) some great 'ah-ha' that gets me to the place where I say, 'You know what? I've got to get help. I can't keep living this way,'" he said.

The Weber County sobriety program could get underway as early as this summer, Hutchinson said. The idea, of course, is that if it works in Weber County it could then branch out to other parts of the state.

Contributing: Jordan Ormond

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