One of the potential consequences of a DUI in Georgia is mandatory attendance of a risk-reduction program. More commonly, people call these programs DUI schools.
In addition to driving under the influence, the court might mandate these programs for people with charges for various other offenses. These include underage alcohol possession while driving and drug possession.
Two-part system
The courses have two main parts. The first is an assessment, and the second has an intervention-based format.
Assessments are rather straightforward. They consist of a set of questions that establishes various factors of a person’s drug or alcohol use. Participants take these tests before entering the intervention portion of the course.
The interventions are more interactive. They consist of several sessions amounting to 20 hours in total. An intervention is often a combination of group discussion and lessons.
Complications when taking classes
Because of the level of interaction with other participants during the intervention portion, these courses might enforce minimum class sizes. This enforcement could even lead to the cancellation of the class in some cases.
In these cases, participants may be able to transfer their progress to other schools. This is useful as it does not require people to start again from the beginning if something happens that is out of their control.
The Department of Driver Services regulates this program, but individual schools give the classes. This results in some complications, but it also means that, via knowledge or investigation, participants may compare different schools and choose the one that would be most appropriate for their situation.
