MADD’s Court Monitoring Program enlists court monitors to observe and document what happens in the courtroom during impaired driving case proceedings. The program was created to ensure that impaired driving offenders are prosecuted and justice is achieved. Court monitoring is a tool proven to affect the adjudication process and is recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as an effective countermeasure to reduce impaired driving (1). Court monitors on the local scale can impact the handling of impaired driving cases by their mere presence in the court room.
The Louisiana Court Monitoring Program predominantly tracks misdemeanor DWI/DUI cases (first and second charges) in each of the parishes. Court monitors collect data from DWI/DUI cases in high - risk areas through online research, data collection from public records and by attending court. This data is then entered into the MADD National Court Monitoring Database for reporting purposes. Court monitors track misdemeanor impaired driving cases in the judicial courts of their respective parishes. Court monitors are often physically present for court settings and acquire cases information from courtroom observation and, when necessary, from researching online databases. The data is then entered into the MADD National Court Monitoring Database for reporting purposes. The information presented in this report is from cases monitored in 2021. Court monitoring is intended to enhance transparency and accountability within the criminal justice system and reduce the likelihood of repeat offenses. One way this goal is achieved is by sharing data and observations with law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, and the public to promote awareness of impaired driving and ensure accountability for all impaired driving offenders. To reduce future offenses, MADD® supports swift and unbiased treatment of all impaired driving cases.
Since 2011, MADD Louisiana’s Court Monitoring program has been monitoring parishes where impaired driving related fatalities are highest in the state. In 2021, the MADD Louisiana monitored 2,285 cases in the following parishes: Bossier, Caddo, East Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Livingston, Rapides and Tangipahoa.
Louisiana State Report (reporting period: 1/1/2021 – 12/31/2021)
Case Disposition DUI
Where disposition is known.
300
300
This report is designed to present observations and trends relative to the parishes monitored, and is not intended to be statistical analysis.
200
Pending Cases Monitored* | 1650 | 72% Adjudicated Cases Monitored | 635 | 28% Total Cases Monitored in 2021 | 2285 *pending cases are cases waiting for a judgement
100
84
76
67
50
32
8
3 2
4 2
1
0
*Deferred Prosecution includes a version of informal probation; and upon certain completion of terms, the charge may be expunged from the defendant’s record. **An amended disposition means the charge was either amended to a lesser charge (such as Reckless Driving) or amended to a higher charge (less common) ***Bound Over” means the court has found probable cause to charge the defendant with a felony. Once this is done, the case essentially starts over at the Circuit Court level and stays there through sentencing.
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