Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Grits for Breakfast

Criminal Law

: Grits for Breakfast

Declining DWI convictions and the unmitigated failure of the Driver Responsibility surcharge

In the Senate Criminal Justice Committee's recent report (pdf, pp. 22-23) was this reference to what I thought was fascinating testimony from Judge David Hodges, Judicial Liaison for the Texas Center for the Judiciary, on the relationship between the Driver Responsibility surcharge and declining DWI conviction rates in Texas:Judge David Hodges, Judicial Liaison, Texas Center for the Judiciary, provided that the most pressing legislative issue with DWI cases is to eliminate or substantially reduce the license renewal surcharges that is imposed on DWI convictions by the Driver's Responsibility law. Since imposing these surcharges: Conviction rates have decreased every year; in 2005, 99,501 DWI arrest resulted in 63,132 convictions. In 2009, 102,309 DWI arrest resulted in 44,777 convictions...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on January 10, 2011 (boomark / email).