Partnership Resource Network
Project Name: Enhance DWI Court
Applicant: Criminal Division, Second Judicial District of Minnesota
Applicant Type: State
Application Number: 2012-H0642-MN-DC
Funding Request: $198,790
Focus: Courts, Specialized and Problem Solving Courts
Location: MN
Areas Covered: Ramsey County, MN
Summary:
Ramsey County is requesting the Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program funds in the amount of $198,790.00 to enhance DWI Court, to expand the target population to include felony level DWI cases (goal 1), increase the recovery support specialist hours (goal2), increase alcohol testing (goal 3) enhance cognitive programming (goal 4), integrate a stipend for ignition interlock for the felony level offenders (goal 5), and implement Motivational Enhancement Therapy (goal 6). Those who are convicted of a felony would be given a year-long jail sentence. With DWI Court’s intensive structure and lengthy therapeutic program, these felony offenders would have a better opportunity to change their life, rather than serve a yearlong jail sentence. DWI Court would have the felony participant serve the statutory minimum jail time of 6 days and support the participant through requirements of attending and completing chemical dependency treatment and aftercare. DWI Court will increase the hours of the recovery support specialist for continued reinforcement in the community with the felony offenders. DWI Court will also increase the number of alcohol tests, through increased EtG (Ethyl Glucuronide) testing for the felony offenders along with offering a small stipend to help with the cost of Ignition Interlock System which is a State mandated requirement. DWI Court would like to implement Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) for participants who are referred to DWI Court and those who have just started the court, who have not yet entered treatment. DWI Court would also like to enhance cognitive programming in phase two of the program that addresses the specific needs of the DWI offender, and the specific needs of female offenders. DWI Court will offer these felony level DWI offenders therapeutic interventions, intense supervision, increased alcohol testing, and cognitive programming rather than incarceration, to stop the cycle of repeat driving while impaired.
Grant funding will help the Ramsey County DWI Court accomplish its missions and goals to enhance the capacity and services not only to felony level DWI offenders, but to all offenders serviced in DWI Court. Ramsey County DWI Court follows and complies with the ten key drug court components, the enhancement grant will allow for enhancing components number 5,6, and 10 through the enhanced recovery support specialist hours (page 7). The ten key components for enhancing and expanding the goals for this grant can be found on pages 9-14.
Ramsey County is the second most urban populous county in the state of Minnesota and is an enterprise community. In 2009 the population of Ramsey County was estimated to be 506,278 of that population, 47,732 residents had one or more impaired driving incidents, 9,015 had three or more. In 2011 there were 3,810 driving while impaired cases filled in Ramsey County, most of them misdemeanors (2,532) and gross misdemeanors (1,217), however there were 61 felonies filed.
For Further Information:
Tanya Jones
DWI Court Coordinator
15 West Kellogg Boulevard
900 Courthouse
St. Paul, MN 55102
tanya.jones@courts.state.mn.us
(651) 266-9277
Application Submitted in Response to Solicitation:Adult Drug Court Discretionary Program
Grants.gov Assigned Number: BJA-2012-3120