| Sentencing Alternatives: | | | | both men and women, separately or together. Most |
| Alcohol and Drug Rehabs | | | | rehabs are private and can be very expensive. |
| Incarceration in the county jail offers no rehabilitative | | | | Sometimes there are waiting lists for an available bed. |
| benefit for the DUI offender. Unfortunately, some | | | | The length of treatment varies, but the average time is |
| people have addiction problems to alcohol that are | | | | 30 days. Treatment may include behavior modification |
| simply not addressed with being punished by | | | | and/or medication. Three commonly used behavioral |
| incarceration. A large number of people get into | | | | treatments for alcohol abuse and alcoholism-motivation |
| serious trouble because of their drinking. Currently, | | | | enhancement therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, |
| nearly 14 million Americans-1 in every 13 adults-abuse | | | | and 12-step facilitation therapy-significantly reduced |
| alcohol or are alcoholic. Several million more adults | | | | drinking in the year following treatment. Medication such |
| engage in risky drinking that could lead to alcohol | | | | as naltrexone (ReVia (TM) ), an anti-craving |
| problems. These patterns include binge drinking and | | | | medication, has been shown to be effective, especially |
| heavy drinking on a regular basis. In addition, 53 percent | | | | when combined with behavior therapy. |
| of men and women in the United States report that | | | | Alcohol and drug rehabs can be used to replace the |
| one or more of their close relatives have a drinking | | | | alcohol education programs that are instituted as part |
| problem. | | | | of the DUI conviction. California Vehicle Code section |
| As a result of the widespread problem of | | | | 23598 states that in lieu of an alcohol or drug |
| alcohol-abuse, there has been an enormous change in | | | | education program, the court may impose a live-in |
| how addicts and alcoholics are regarded by the court | | | | alcohol treatment term of probation instead. The court |
| system. It is ineffective to simply lock away addicts | | | | will impose that the DUI offender complete such a |
| and alcoholics without treating the underlying addiction | | | | program so long as the person consents and has |
| issues. Instead judges and prosecutors want | | | | been accepted into that program. The type of proof |
| substance abusers to stop using in order to lessen the | | | | that is required is a certification, made under penalty of |
| risk of recidivism. Therefore, the alternative to | | | | perjury, by the director of the program. The time spent |
| incarceration is treatment in an established and state | | | | in rehabilitation is counted against the time that would |
| licensed drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. | | | | otherwise have been spent incarcerated in a county |
| There are many different types of rehab available, for | | | | jail. This is referred to as good time custody credits. |