Key Expert Input
The data collected directly from monitored cases that we share in this report is compelling in many ways, but our data alone is not sufficient to fully grasp the landscape of DUI prosecution and adjudication in these areas. During August 2022, MADD South Carolina held four “stakeholder roundtable” discussions that included stakeholders from all seven focus counties. Invitees included solicitor’s office staff, law enforcement, and key community partners. MADD staff presented key data to the attendees and then engaged in very valuable discussions about their impressions and additional information needed to understand the situations that led to what we saw in the data. These collective perspectives are shared in multiple places below, especially in our Focus Areas section.
Total Number of Cases Monitored
This report covers cases monitored between January 1, 2019 and July 1, 2022, and this period of time certainly was impacted by COVID-19 court closures and case delays. Though our efforts in some counties pre-date 2019, we chose to keep the data current and not go all the way back to our earliest efforts. Since 2019, we have now monitored 6,582 total cases in these counties, of which 3,424 cases have had a final determination and 3,158 cases remain open. These open cases will continue to be monitored, and the outcome of those cases will be included in the next annual report if they have a final disposition by that time. The primary reasons for a case still being open are either 1) the case is recent and has not been addressed by the courts yet, 2) COVID-19 delays, or 3) the defendant requested a jury trial set for a future date. The table below shows how many closed cases we have for each county. The data shown later in the report is based off of these closed cases only.
# OF CASES CLOSED
# OF CASES OPEN
% OF CASES CLOSED
COUNTY
Berkeley
315
131
71%
Charleston
552
256
68%
731
45%
Greenville
605
Horry
513
210
71%
Lexington
598
508
54%
Richland
317
844
27%
Spartanburg
524
478
52%
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