HCBA Lawyer Magazine Vol. 28, No. 5 | Page 14

F R O M
T H E
S T A T E
A T T O R N E Y
An d re w H. Wa r re n - St at e At t o r n ey fo r t h e T h i r t e e n t h Ju d i c i a l Ci rc u i t
reducing Duis in hillsborough county
through enhanced sanctions
H
riDr imposes enhanced sanctions on first-time, non-aggravated Dui
offenders in order to aggressively target and reduce impaired driving.
illsborough County
consistently ranks as
the worst in the
state for DUI arrests,
crashes, injuries, and
fatalities. Given the dangers of
impaired driving, as well as the
importance of reducing recidivism to
promote long-term community safety,
the State Attorney’s Office has
established a new prosecutorial initiative known as
the Reducing Impaired Driving Recidivism program,
or “RIDR.” RIDR imposes enhanced sanctions on
first-time, non-aggravated DUI offenders in order to
aggressively target and reduce impaired driving.
Enhanced sanctions like alcohol monitoring devices
and DUI education programs reduce recidivism of
impaired driving for individuals with DUI convictions.
Presently, our office pleads a significant percentage of
DUI cases to reckless driving based
on the defendant’s acceptance of
responsibility, the strength of the
evidence (including whether the
defendant agreed to provide a breath
sample), resource allocation, and other
factors that do not concern the
egregiousness
of
the
offense.
Capitalizing on the effectiveness of
enhanced sanctions that are often
reserved for DUI convictions, RIDR seeks to impose
such sanctions on all DUI offenses, including those
reduced to reckless driving. Although RIDR’s primary
purpose is to reduce the recidivism of impaired driving,
it will also promote consistency in the prosecution of
DUI cases and eliminate the perverse incentive to
refuse a breath sample. 1
© Can Stock Photo / Arcady
12
Continued on page 13
M AY - J U N E 2 0 1 8
|
HCBA LAWYER