Convinced that many DWI offenders are alcohol dependent persons and that incarceration is not an effective deterrent to such individuals, Dr. Jeffrey Runge, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), promotes DWI courts as an alternative.
These innovative courts use substance abuse intervention with hard-core repeat offenders who plead guilty to driving while intoxicated. Those accepted into the diversionary program are required to abstain from alcohol. Some are required to wear a device that monitors and records any levels of alcohol detected in their bloodstreams.