Posted on 08/15/2015 9:33:07 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion
A decade ago, as attorney general of South Dakota, Larry Long saw the need for a more direct approach and launched a program called “24/7 Sobriety.” I first encountered 24/7 Sobriety five years ago, and it confounded much of what I had learned in my years as an addiction-treatment professional.
On a clear South Dakota morning, I found myself in a Sioux Falls police station, waiting for more than a hundred repeat offenders to appear for court-mandated appointments. They had to blow into a breathalyzer to prove that they had not been drinking. I expected that many wouldn’t show up; I felt sure that many of those who did show up would be intoxicated—and the rest would be surly.
But every single offender trooped peacefully by, chatted briefly with a friendly officer, blew a negative test and went on his or her way. This was remarkable and new to me, particularly because it was almost absurdly simple.
Offenders in 24/7 Sobriety can drive all they want to, but they are under a court order not to drink. Every morning and evening, for an average of five months, they visit a police facility to take a breathalyzer test. Unlike most consequences imposed by the criminal justice system, the penalties for noncompliance are swift, certain and modest. Drinking results in mandatory arrest, with a night or two in jail as the typical penalty.
The results have been stunning. Since 2005, the program has administered more than 7 million breathalyzer tests to over 30,000 participants. Offenders have both showed up and passed the test at a rate of over 99%.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
I actually love that kind of weather myself.
Someone help me out here: is this thread about drunken drivers, or the WSJ itself?
I’d much prefer that governments address any problems with bad drivers, period — regardless of what else is going on with them.
I propose that if you have an accident causing injury or death then there be a through investigation. If negligence is found to be a cause then you go to jail. Term being related to the severity of the injury. Someone dies and you go to jail for negligent homicide.
Speaking of driving, have you checked out the Woodward Dream Cruise? Looks like a good time for car lovers.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3324886/posts
Yes, it means not looking out your window & watching the grass turn brown.
A rainy afternoon with the tall trees swaying - relaxing.
There’s an easy way to beat the WSJ paywall. Copy the title, then go to Google. From a Google Search page (search box doesn’t do the trick), the first link will be straight to the WSJ article. . .no nags. . .
I could never live in southern California. It could rain pretty much every day and I would be happy.
Beautiful cars everywhere I looked. God Bless Motown.
Harmless Teddy Bear - I agree with you completely. In Michigan, where I live, If you are convicted of your second DWI you automatically lose you license for up to, meaning at least, one year. No one can go without a driver’s license for a year in Michigan (Michigan, because of the reliance on the automobile producers has virtually no mass transit). So you either put your life on hold for a year or you drive illegally.
It’s a great idea.Let’s set up testing stations in the halls of Congress.Show up drunk,get escorted out.
“There should be a rule: no WSJ-based threads unless the poster gives a synopsis of the entire article.”
Yeah. And all sites that use the piano media firewall to that rule as well.
“There’s an easy way to beat the WSJ paywall. Copy the title, then go to Google. From a Google Search page (search box doesn’t do the trick), the first link will be straight to the WSJ article. . .no nags. “
That’s not working any more for me. Have you tried it with this article?
I actually love that kind of weather myself.
Ditto!
Unless I’m at the shore the sun bores the hell out of me.
Everyone needs to ride once in The Convincer, a device state registries bring around periodically to safety fairs.
I appreciate the desire for this to work, but if these people are showing up, in the morning, according to a schedule, then what’s to stop them from stopping in, taking the test, and then hitting the bottle.
As long as they quit at the right time to get the BAC back to zero, I think this is wishful thinking.
I would imagine it would not be too difficult for a smart phone app with breathalyzer to be linked to a parole officer that a person can blow in to each morning and night eliminating the need for a physical visit to the police station. Put it on a smart phone, have it film the blow, then link the results. Any cheating is severley punished but would be difficult with the modern technology that can live document the entire test would make it difficult. If one does not have a smart phone I hear Obamaphones are easy to get.
Any one takes the idea and makes millions just split it with me.
It worked for me.
And it appears to work!
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