Williamson County DUI Court Review

Dec. 7, 2012 - PRLog -- FRANKLIN, Tennessee (December 7, 2012) – The Williamson County DUI Court recently received a review from The Justice Programs Office of the School of Public Affairs (SPA) at American University. The evaluators summarized, “This program and its success and impact on changing people’s lives needs to be known by all of the residents of Williamson County, Tennessee.”

The Williamson County General Sessions DUI Court serves as an alternative to traditional prosecution and incarceration for offenders with alcohol and drug abuse problems. A team approach is utilized involving the DUI Court Judge, District Attorney, Public Defender and the Defense Bar working in conjunction with law enforcement, a coordinator, case manager, probation officer, evaluator and treatment provider.

The Justice Programs Office of the School of Public Affairs (SPA) at American University review team consisting of Judge John Parnham, a retired Circuit Court Judge, and Dr. Richard Grimm, a DUI Court Evaluator, spent two days in Franklin meeting with DUI Court Judge Denise Andre, Mayor Rogers Anderson, DUI Court team members, participants and graduates. Judge Parnham and Dr. Grimm performed this review with support from the Office of Justice Programs under the U.S. Department of Justice.

Judge Parnham said, “The Williamson County General Sessions DUI Court is performing an extraordinary service in changing the lives of individuals and their families.  This is an outstanding program that provides a realistic opportunity for people to change their lives so they are no longer in the court system.”

The DUI Court was founded in 2010 by General Sessions Judge Denise Andre to help non-violent DUI offenders affected by addiction the opportunity to make life-altering changes to break the cycle of alcohol and drug dependency with intervention, treatment and rehabilitation. The DUI Court now has 11 graduates and 13 current participants.

The Williamson County General Sessions DUI Court was founded in 2010 by General Session Judge the Honorable Denise Andre. DUI offenders affected by addiction have the opportunity to make life-altering changes and break the cycle of alcohol and drug dependency by participating in an intervention, treatment and rehabilitation program. The DUI Court of Williamson County now has eleven graduates and thirteen current participants.

# # #

About the County DUI Court

The mission of the DUI Court is to enhance public safety through the reduction of DUI recidivism, thereby reducing the burden on community resources and fostering a healthier and safer life for the participants and their families by increasing treatment, supervision and accountability of the high risk impaired driver. The DUI Court Foundation is a non-profit organization established to support matters relating to the Williamson County DUI Court and to secure funding and provide financial aid toward the operation and expansion of the Williamson County DUI Court.