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. 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. 1 Richard, C. M., Magee, K., Bacon-Abdelmoteleb, P., & Brown, J. L. (2018, April). Countermeasures that work: A highway safety countermeasure guide for State Highway Safety Offic- es, Ninth edition (Report No. DOT HS 812 478). Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Court Monitoring Program monitors misdemeanor DUI cases in the courts of their respective counties. The monitors are physically present for court settings and acquire case information from courtroom observation and, when necessary, from researching online databases in the event a monitor is not able to be present at the pro- ceeding. The data is then entered into the MADD National Court Monitoring Database for reporting purposes.
This report is designed to present observations and trends relative to the counties monitored and is not intended to be a statistical analysis. Tennessee State Report (reporting period: 1/1/2020 – 12/31/2020)
Pending Cases Monitored:
127
16%
Adjudicated Cases Monitored:
653
84%
780
Total Cases Monitored in 2020:
*Pending cases are cases waiting a judgement result.
Adjudication Totals
Amount
Percentage
Guilty
366
56%
Not Guilty
1
<1% <1%
Deferred Prosecution
4
Dismissed
60
9%
Amended
109
17%
Bound Over To Circuit Court
113
17%
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