Punishment For Repeat Dui Offenders

[Madkat-Z 0]

Ok, this idea has been in my head for quite some time and I just started thinking about it again when BooZker posted his board on "The Reason Why People Get Drunk?, Isn't there a 1,000,000 other things you can do?". DUI's I see as a big problem. I've lost a friend of mine due to some one's lack of responsibility. So here is my idea to solve this problem. I think they need to instead of giving you a fine or take your license away the police need to take a bigger step, especially for repeat offenders. Drinking should be a privilege like driving, aka: it can be taken away as well. They need to instead of taking away their license and giving offender a fine, they need to take anyway their right to drink. Basically make it illegal for them to purchase alcohol or for anyone to provide them with alcohol. Of course this will have the same problems as underage drinking, but be more of a deterrent then just saying "Ok, we are going to take your license away for 30 days and here a 700 dollar fine, but hey drink as much as you want until then"I'm just curious if I'm just crazy, or if this might actually work.

[gaea 0]

While I think your idea has some merit, its downfall is that it highly impeeds a individual's freedom in certain cirucumstances. As such, it'd probably be deemed unconstitutional if it was ever brought to a court.Perhaphs requiring DUI offenders to talk to the families and friends of people who have been killed by DUIs would sober them up a bit? Then again, there will always be self centered ba****** who couldn't care less about the lives of others they might destroy . . . atleast not until it's already happened.

[lawmatchmaker 0]

Ok, this idea has been in my head for quite some time and I just started thinking about it again when BooZker posted his board on "The Reason Why People Get Drunk?, Isn't there a 1,000,000 other things you can do?".
DUI's I see as a big problem. I've lost a friend of mine due to some one's lack of responsibility. So here is my idea to solve this problem. I think they need to instead of giving you a fine or take your license away the police need to take a bigger step, especially for repeat offenders. Drinking should be a privilege like driving, aka: it can be taken away as well. They need to instead of taking away their license and giving offender a fine, they need to take anyway their right to drink. Basically make it illegal for them to purchase alcohol or for anyone to provide them with alcohol. Of course this will have the same problems as underage drinking, but be more of a deterrent then just saying "Ok, we are going to take your license away for 30 days and here a 700 dollar fine, but hey drink as much as you want until then"

I'm just curious if I'm just crazy, or if this might actually work.

I think that punishment and rehab have to go hand in hand, and there is a fine balance between them. Just punishing a person will not change the person's thinking too much I think, it is the punishment that deters, not the idea that what they are doing is wrong. However, rehab means changing peoples way of thinking, convincing them there is a better way of doing things. So yeah I agree punish the person, but make sure the person is also rehabilitated or else that person will probably reoffend

[michaelper22 0]

If you want to keep DUI offenders from drinking, you might as well ban alcohol period. It's a pointless thing to do, since there is virtually no enforcement for that type of law. It's not hard to get alcohol if you really want it. In New York State, there is this point system on your license. If you get a certain number of points, they take away your license. I also think that there are special laws regarding DUIs ands stuff like that, since NY State does take this kinda stuff seriously (the Zero Tolerance law).

Edited August 30, 2006 by michaelper22 (see edit history)

[Juhae 0]

Why do people get drunk you ask? I have a few questions for you: Why do you go on the computer? Why do you watch TV? Why do you play video games? Why? Because you want to. Because everyone else is doing it. Because it's the "cool" thing. You can never stop someone from drinking. It is their responsibility and you can't change one's opinion by giving them a ticked or enforcing the law upon them. You cant only stop yourself.

[Madkat-Z 0]

If you want to keep DUI offenders from drinking, you might as well ban alcohol period. It's a pointless thing to do, since there is virtually no enforcement for that type of law. It's not hard to get alcohol if you really want it. In New York State, there is this pint system on your license. If you get a certain number of points, they take away your license. I also think that there are laws reegarding DUIs ands tuff like that, since NY State does take this kinda stuff seriously.

Well I know Ohio takes it seriouslly and we have the point system as well, but the problem is the only way it seems that a DUI offender gets his/her licesen taken away period is they have to hurt someone first. Most of the time it's a 30 day suspension. Anyway, the thing with enforcement, I was thinking as more of a deterant then really a way to enforce it. Kind of like the campains they did for smoking, just instead "If you want to keep your right to party, then have a designated driver." or something like that.

Why do people get drunk you ask? I have a few questions for you: Why do you go on the computer? Why do you watch TV? Why do you play video games? Why? Because you want to. Because everyone else is doing it. Because it's the "cool" thing. You can never stop someone from drinking. It is their responsibility and you can't change one's opinion by giving them a ticked or enforcing the law upon them. You cant only stop yourself.

Umm...well I tend to differ on this point, you can stop someone from drinking, you just have to force them to or give them a reason to stop. I'm pretty sure if you end up going to jail for 2 years for manslaugther because you where dumb enough to drink and drive and kill someone, would change your opinion. My point is that people are not taking the responsibility of drinking seriously. I know that most people take right to drive seriously, because they fear losing that right. If that wasn't the case then we have people going 100mph in a 25mph zone. I think the same system can be applied to drinking thats all.

[Thelaw 0]

Well in my strongest opinion is that people get drunk to wash away the fears, pain away. Also they must think its cool... One thing is Drinking and getting drunk it alright if you know what your doing and are in your own home so that you only harm yourself. When you are drinkign and driving you are harming everyone around you. Either making them feel unsafe or causing an accident at all costs to prevent this there has been Public Service Announcements, some authorith from the police, and the admendment that failed to stop alcohol. Even Driving Under Influence aka DUI points dont work all the time, usually its to late. The restricting law should be any illegal driving revokes a liscence right than and there. Michigan has a point system to, and in some cases the liscense is revoked right there! I have to agree that mostly every state has their own ways of stopping alcohol but have you seen any of them accuallty stop it completely. NO there is no way, Like others have said alcohol is easy to find, use, and abuse. This shows how ignorant people can be. I am not saying im perfect but seeing how people can't contorl themselves with alcohol... they should atleast think of the effects and things that can happen to you when drinking it and the outcome of alcohol poison is... Death! also drugs, whey do people have to use them! Its even worse than Alcohol. my suggestion is think real hard about what you do no matter what it is. "For when you think, there is a stronger possibility that you will not harm yourself or others."

[Zabb 0]

I didn't read all the replies but from the main statement I only kinda agree. I think dui's should be classed the same as attempted homicide. I don't believe in fines they just make you poorer than you already are and then you need a drink to forget about your money problems. I also think that having a breathalizer installed (paid for by the GUILTY defendant) on all vehicles registered in that household. humilty is a great prevenitive measure. it sounds completely retarded to me that people will risk losing thier licence,money,life ect.. but they don't want to have to explain why they have to blow into a tube to start thier car. I guess they could say they bought it from chris reeve's estate sale.final word of advise sometimes you get lucky and make it home ok.and w/o even considering a worse case scenerio lets just say you get randomly pulled over,a dui will cost you about 2-5000$ in legal cost's alone not to mention raised ins. ratesA LIMO will only cost about $150.00 and you can drink all the way home.

[gaurdro 0]

here's my opinion on the matter. we should take their license away on the first dui. on the second remove(and resell) the car not back to person or the family. on the third a "no appeal" death sentence.this would stop the problem and would eventually weed out the genes that make some of us suceptible to alcohol addiction.

[Sinari 0]

That seems a bit extreme though. The first time, depending on the severity should be a warning. If they kill someone that's another story though, that's murder and they have to go to jail. The second time caught like that and they should give a rather harsh fine and put a mark on their license. On three marks towards their license, just like with tickets, they lose their license and they have to go into required therapy to kill the habit of drinkign and driving. After therapy, if they still have the problem and do it again, then give a harsher fine. After that, you send them to court and they have the potential to get put in jail. Again, if they kill or injure someone at any of the times you drop the program and try them for murder if there's a death and assault is thre's an injury. Doesn't seem to be unconstitutional and it would enforce it and be meaningfull for our society today.

[Madkat-Z 0]

That seems a bit extreme though. The first time, depending on the severity should be a warning. If they kill someone that's another story though, that's murder and they have to go to jail. The second time caught like that and they should give a rather harsh fine and put a mark on their license. On three marks towards their license, just like with tickets, they lose their license and they have to go into required therapy to kill the habit of drinkign and driving. After therapy, if they still have the problem and do it again, then give a harsher fine. After that, you send them to court and they have the potential to get put in jail. Again, if they kill or injure someone at any of the times you drop the program and try them for murder if there's a death and assault is thre's an injury. Doesn't seem to be unconstitutional and it would enforce it and be meaningfull for our society today.

See I agree with you that it shouldn't be a punishment or first time offenders. I do belive that if they do again a second time it should be just a harsher fine and a longer license suspension, but force them to go to classes, instead of what you are proposing is wait until the third time. If that doesn't work then, obviously rehabilitation hasn't worked, taking away there license and giving them a fine hasn't worked, so why not take away their right to drink. If that doesn't work then maybe both there license and their drinking rights should be taken away, because they are not responsiable enough.

I do know my idea is rather extreme, but I've seen people arrested for there 16th DUI and all they get is a fine and there license suspended or taken away. What to those people do, just drive without a license and continue drinking. To me it seems those people need a harsher punshiment and I don't think jail time, fines, or taken away there licese is working. Plus, I don't like the idea that people like that can get away with it 16 times. Thats 16 times they could of killed someone. To me thats like playing russan rulet with peoples lives.