NCJ Number
86428
Journal
State Court Journal Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (Fall 1982) Pages: 26-31
Date Published
1982
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes Phoenix's Prosecution Alternative to Court Trial (PACT) program and evaluates its success in speeding the disposition of drunk-driving cases, reducing costs, and improving the quality of judicial system performance.
Abstract
Persons charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) enter the PACT program by pleading not guilty at arraignment. About 2 weeks after arraignment, a PACT court session is scheduled. Immediately preceding the court appearance, defendants are given an orientation to the program. A PACT agreement form is drawn up for eligible defendants (those who have not previously participated in PACT). The agreement presents the reduced charge for which a guilty plea will be accepted and the sanctions (fine, jail, driver license points) to be levied. During the orientation session, defendants complete a diagnostic screening questionnaire and see a slide presentation which portrays some of the traditional punitive sanctions for DWI assessable under State statutes. As the PACT program is outlined, the defendant learns that he/she can avoid being convicted of DWI by agreeing to enter and satisfactorily complete the program. Rehabilitation assignments are based on the results of the drinker-screening process. If the PACT option is refused, the defendant's case is set for trial. If all conditions of the PACT agreement are satisfied, the defendant is routinely returned to court where a sentence is imposed for the agreed-upon lesser charge. Analysis of throughput (the elapsed time from arrest to key events in the judicial process), court continuances, and trial backlogs shows that PACT has met its objectives of speeding case processing and eliminating trial and appeal backlogs. There is no evidence that PACT has reduced arrest recidivism. As a result of legislation, PACT was phased out in August 1982. To date, $425,000 has been added to the Phoenix budget in anticipation of an increased number of DWI trials. Tabular data and 10 notes are provided.