Continued: Hennepin County is saving lives via DWI court

When Mark Flakne wants his car to start, he breathes on it.

If there's no alcohol on his breath, the car starts. If he's trying to drink and drive -- and that hasn't happened, Flakne said -- a machine turns off the engine. He can try again in six hours.

Flakne, 42, a carpenter with multiple DWI convictions, normally wouldn't be behind the wheel at all. But now he can drive with the sensor, called an ignition interlock, as part of the Hennepin County DWI court program, an 18-month regimen for repeat offenders designed to stop them from drinking and driving again.

Of about 110 participants in the court so far, only one has been convicted again for drunken driving. In Ramsey County, which began a similar program in 2005, three of 73 participants have been convicted again, and none since 2006.

Repeat DWI offenders usually have a 60 percent to 80 percent chance of reoffending.

"We're saving lives," said Fourth District Judge John Holohan, who oversees the DWI court. "Not only the lives of the offenders, because a lot of those people are out-of-control alcoholic and their fate if they don't get help is an untimely death. We're also protecting society from the worst of the worst of the drunken drivers."

DWI court hasn't only saved lives, Holohan said. It's also saved Hennepin County about $500,000.

The court costs about $2,000 per participant, or more than $5,000 less than the traditional 90 days in jail for repeat offenders.

"Locking somebody up to punish them, and doing nothing to address the underlying behavior, is costing the taxpayers $7,000 to $8,000," he said. "What we're doing is changing the behavior."

Niki Leicht, who directs the DWI court program in Ramsey County, said the county hasn't yet evaluated the costs and savings, but is planning to compare court participants to a group DWI offenders who chose the traditional probation route.

In Hennepin County, repeat offenders, usually with at least three DWI convictions, can apply to participate in the court. Instead of the usual 90-day jail sentence, they serve six days, then undergo a screening procedure. If they pass, they're accepted to the program, agreeing to meet weekly with a probation officer, attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and let probation or police officers conduct random searches at their home.

In return, participants who normally would have their licenses suspended or revoked, can drive with the ignition interlock for a set amount of hours per week to work, court and Alcoholics Anonymous.

Ramsey County's program requires participants to be sober in stages: 90 consecutive days at first, then 120, then 180, Leicht said, and doesn't offer the driving option.

The program's success rate is partly based on the participants it chooses. The screening process selects offenders who think they need help, not those looking to avoid jail time and go back to old habits, Holohan said.

"We're not taking in people that are noncompliant or who are trying to get in here just to get out of doing the 90 days in jail," he said. "We're taking in people that we believe have a sincere commitment to turning their lives around and getting sober."

Forced to make changes

Flakne is one of them. After his most recent DWI conviction, in February 2007, he decided it was time for a change. His attorney suggested DWI court. A little less than 18 months later, he became the program's third graduate a few weeks ago.

"Instead of just sitting in jail and stewing about the mistakes I had made ... it forced me to make some lifestyle changes," Flakne said.

Educating drunken drivers about the effects of their actions can have a positive impact, said Jean Mulvey, executive director of Minnesota's chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which works with the Hennepin County court system to show things from the victim's perspective.

"We want them to change their behavior so that they realize some of the different consequences," Mulvey said.

The process made Flakne realize he was going to be back in jail if he didn't change.

"Fortunately for me, the only person I hurt was myself," he said. "There are people who've done a lot worse. But you know what, it was probably just a matter of time."

Libby Nelson • 612-673-4758