Kane County Launches DUI Problem Solving Court

KANE COUNTY, IL — Following a three year collaborative effort, Kane County's DUI "problem-solving court" has debuted.

The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, the Judiciary and Adult Court Services and several other public safety partners in the county worked together to make the problem-solving court a reality, according to a news release.

The newest Kane County specialty court is meant to provide an alternative to incarceration for felony DUI offenders. The aim is to help them better address underlying issues that lead to drunken driving, according to a news release.

The wide range of support is meant to help offenders in their recovery and to reduce recidivism.

“This is a response to a need and an investment in our community and residents,” Kane County
State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said. “We have specialty courts for offenders who commit crimes
related to a mental health diagnosis or have a substance use disorder related to illegal drug use,
but we had nothing for multiple DUI offenders.”

The DUI problem-solving court is a two-year program that seeks to rehabilitate felony DUI offenders who are at a high risk of reoffending. It is modeled after Kane County’s Drug Rehabilitation Court, which has shown great success over many years in helping those in need, prosecutors said.

“Individuals struggling with alcohol use disorders need treatment and opportunities for rehabilitation just the same as individuals struggling with other substance-related issues,” Nathan Lanthrum of Lighthouse Recovery said. "Strictly punitive approaches to individuals with multipleDUI offenses do very little to address the underlying issues for the behavior. We believe this new court will help make our communities safer through this rehabilitative approach.”

The program will focus on intensive monitoring and supervision, as well as treatment, while holding participants accountable, and participants must be Kane County residents. Judge Rene Cruz will preside over DUI problem-solving court.

“It is a privilege to join the collaborative effort of the Kane County Justice Partners and preside over the DUI Problem-Solving Court,” Cruz said. “There is proven success in similar programs that provide participants access to the tools needed to manage their substance use disorder in a controlled program under close supervision and interaction with treatment professionals as an alternative to incarceration. It keeps the community safe, saves taxpayerdollars and most importantly transform participants into productive members of the community.”

The DUI Problem-Solving Court is Kane County’s fourth problem-solving court, joining Drug
Rehabilitation Court, Treatment Alternative Court and Veteran’s Court. Kane County is the only
Illinois county with four certified treatment courts, according to 16th Circuit Chief Judge Clint
Hull.

DUI Problem-Solving Court involves collaboration inside and outside of the court system. In
addition to judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement and probation officers, it also
involves treatment providers and community leaders.

To assist with the DUI Court implementation, Kane County Adult Court Services applied for and
received a $135,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation. These funds will
support treatment, training, education, drug-testing supplies, and part of the salary paid to the
assistant public defender assigned to the program, according to the news release.

“DUI offenders don’t get the help they need in prison,” said Rachele Conant, a public defender in Kane County. “Once they’re out, they are highly likely to reoffend. And eventually, instead of driving their car into a tree, they strike a pedestrian. I believe DUI Court will be an important tool in preventing people from becoming a fixture in court and in making our streets safer.”