Nebraska 2017 Court Monitoring Report

2017 MADD Nebraska Court Monitoring Briefing

Introduction States can have strong laws and tough enforcement but without consistent outcomes in the court system the message that drunk driving is a serious crime may get lost. The court system is our society’s mechanism for determining an individual’s guilt or innocence. It also sets the parameters of an offender’s punishment, restitution and rehabilitation. Over the past two years, the number of drunk driving deaths nationwide has increased after years of steady decline. Despite a cultural shift in America since Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) was founded in 1980, drunk driving still remains the biggest killer on our nation’s roadways. More than 10,000 people were killed in drunk driving crashes in 2015. MADD believes there will come a day when there are No More Victims® of drunk driving. MADD’s guiding force to achieve this goal is the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving — supporting high-visibility law enforcement, advocating for ignition interlocks for all drunk driving offenders, pushing for development of advanced vehicle technology and drawing upon public support for these initiatives. A Look at Drunk Driving in Nebraska In 2017, 30 percent of fatal crashes were alcohol-related in Nebraska. This number is down slightly from the average of 35 percent of the previous four years (2013-2016). The number of DUI Arrests have decreased from 10,718 in 2012 to 6,877 in 2017 while the Alcohol Related Fatal Crashes and Fatalities has varied over the years.

Year DUI Arrests DUI Convictions Alcohol Related Fatal Crashes

Alcohol Related Fatalities

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

12,207 10,718

10,549

49 81 65 75 71 73 63

51 87 70 78 81 81 71

9,528 8,703 7,576 7,136 6,594 6,203

9,343 8,617 8,199 7,311 6,877

MADD Nebraska and Highway Safety Advocates can work on reducing the number of alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes on state roadways by addressing the number of arrests and convictions for all offenses. Court monitoring is intended to enhance transparency and accountability within the criminal justice system and reduce the likelihood of repeat drunk driving offenses. Studies show that consistently placing an observer in the courtroom has a positive effect on case disposition. Standardized reporting used by court monitors contributes to an increase in information that can result

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in higher conviction rates. When monitors cannot be in court, they collect >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63

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