professionals with their own past history of substance use can be more effective than those without personal substance abuse experience. They suggested that it is more difficult for drunk drivers to manipulate these counselors. It was also believed to be important because female drunk drivers in particular require motivation and it is beneficial for them to see a “success story” (i.e., a person who had struggled with addiction issues and managed to gain control of those issues and build a better life). However, some practitioners also expressed concern about practitioners in recovery as there were instances when there “seemed to be a void with counselors not sharing important information with the probation officer when an offender reported a relapse during a treatment session” in a perceived effort to protect the “therapeutic relationship” and prevent the offender from having a violation recorded (although it should be noted that a report of relapse will not necessarily result in a violation).
Another issue of concern expressed by many practitioners was the lack of trauma-informed clinicians in treatment settings. Of equal concern, it was also noted that most alcohol intake instruments that are used in treatment settings do not include questions about trauma, meaning that these issues which may be important contributors to or triggers of alcohol use, particularly among a female offender population, are frequently not identified or are overlooked. Many practitioners reported that generic treatment programs targeted towards all types of substance use are often not consistently equipped to deal with trauma issues. In these instances, practitioners acknowledged that counselors often do not want to hear about trauma and/ or abuse and this affects the overall effectiveness of the treatment.
More than half of practitioners agreed that the supervision of female drunk drivers can be more effective in a DWI Court setting because the entire team of practitioners (e.g., prosecutors, judges, probation officers, and treatment professionals) receives a greater amount of information that is shared among them. It is believed that this contributes to a higher level of accountability and also provides a stronger support network for women in particular. They also reported that DWI Courts are more likely to have linkages to the mental health system and services and this enables women to deal with these issues in an appropriate setting. For this reason, practitioners working in these settings report that they feel better equipped to manage female drunk
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drivers. However, it was acknowledged that this is equally the case for male drunk drivers.
There was also consensus among many practitioners that alcohol monitoring technologies (e.g., alcohol ignition interlock, continuous transdermal alcohol monitoring devices) are beneficial for both female and male drunk drivers. Not only did they agree that these devices contributed to a higher level of accountability among offenders, but they also enable counselors to more easily identify and address relevant issues. They acknowledged that technologies make it easier for treatment professionals to work with clients and note that, “Technology is the client’s conscience to get them sober.”
4.2.2 Experiences with supervision and treatment
Reactions to arrest and court processing. According to the experience of practitioners, among many of those women who are college-aged and single, the initial arrest and court processing that results from a drunk driving offense is not generally perceived as a serious situation. They reported that these women often fail to fully appreciate the magnitude of the consequences of their offense, particularly in terms of having a criminal record or the extended loss of their driving privileges. It was also suggested by practitioners that one explanation for this may be that younger women are in denial about their drinking behavior, and/or they have less to lose at this point in their life because they are more often single and do not have significant family or employment responsibilities which are frequently a source of concern among older women. In general, they reported that the attitude of these younger women often conveys the sentiment that “I don’t need help; I got this.” Although it is estimated that more than half of practitioners agreed that this reaction is much more pronounced among first offenders, they also reported that if young women continue to accumulate subsequent impaired driving offenses, their attitude does change rather dramatically as they begin to appreciate the consequences associated with their behavior. They reported that women also begin to experience a much higher level of concern about their future and the opportunities that will be available to them, particularly if they are convicted of felony offenses. These observations are similar to focus group findings as some of the young women stated that they failed to appreciate the severity of their offending until their third or fourth offense, at which point there was no longer leniency and they instead encountered severe sanctions such as jail time.
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