DUI Schools and Victim Impact Panels in Henrico County

When someone is convicted of a DUI in Henrico County, they are required to complete the course recommended by VASAP, which is the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program. These alcohol education programs can be either county sponsored programs or private programs. However, there are no DUI online courses offered in Henrico, either privately or through the county. These classes are meant to inform people about the consequences of driving under the influence. Participating in them can help a person mitigate the possible consequences of a DUI charge.

DUI education programs can vary quite a bit in length. It can be anywhere from a 1-day class to an ongoing part of therapy and counseling, which can last several weeks and/or several months. The times for these courses vary widely as well. they may be on weekends or they may be week nights. These programs often try to work with the schedules of those required to attend.

Education Materials Used in DUI Courses

DUI courses include lots of literature about addiction and substance abuse issues as well as movies and educational videos. Depending on whether it is private or county sponsored, some of the DUI group therapies that operate in Henrico include group discussions and/or group meetings. This is often seen as the best way to handle these situations. It is best for the individual to interact with others and talk about their substance abuse issues.

DUI Group Discussion Topics

Typically, the topics revolve around substance abuse and the family or personal issues that often lead to substance abuse, how long they have been dealing with the substance abuse issues, and some of the best ways to counteract that. Additionally, discussions will include: how to stay clean, what support systems are available, and the best ways to deal, day-to-day, with substance abuse issues.

Voluntarily Attending DUI School

Someone can attend a DUI school without a court order. Typically, a lawyer will recommend this when someone is charged with a DUI for purposes of mitigating possible punishments associated with a DUI charge and conviction.  A lawyer will usually recommend that someone go to a private school rather than a county sponsored one

Similarly, someone can offer to attend a traffic school after a DUI. However, the court and the prosecutors do not view this as a DUI educational program. There are other educational programs someone can take, but a simple traffic school is not enough.

Victim Impact Panels in Henrico County

A victim impact panel is a program where victims speak about the impact of DUIs and DUI accidents and how it can affect them.

These panels exist as education programs and counseling programs. Typically, they are put on by MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), and they are usually a part of education programs. However, there are not many impact panels in Henrico, so they don’t really play an active role in these cases unless they are a part of any sort of counseling program.

Typically, in Virginia, and in Henrico specifically, the government does not really become involved in these panels. It is usually only Mothers Against Drunk Driving or another substance abuse group, and what they will try and do is incorporate these panels into other counseling sessions.