DUI Classes in Philadelphia
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when an individual is charged with driving under the influence, there are a number of programs that a Philadelphia DUI lawyer may recommend, including safe driving classes and/or drug and alcohol treatment programs. Additionally, if convicted, an individual must undergo a Court Reporting Network (CRN) evaluation, which is used to determine whether a person has a drug and/or alcohol problem and whether such a problem should be treated as a requirement for a person’s DUI conviction. If so, the individual may be mandated by law to attend a drug and/or alcohol treatment program.
Philadelphia has the largest number of inpatient and outpatient drug and alcohol facilities throughout the entire state. Therefore, a person who faces thirty or more days in jail, even with second and third DUI offenses, can seek out an inpatient drug and alcohol program often covered by their insurance. The overnight accommodation in alcohol and drug treatment programs is then considered an equivalent to what otherwise would have been jail time. To learn more about the various programs available and how they may help your case, call and schedule a consultation today.
Attending DUI School
In Philadelphia, an individual can voluntarily enroll in such programs if they feel it is necessary to obtain help.
Safe driving school for a DUI does not involve taking classes on how to operate a motor vehicle in Philadelphia, since the individual already has a driver’s license and has already gone through driving school, but instead involve discussing the ramifications of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol and the effects that such behavior can have on society as a whole by putting others at risk of harm. These classes can also be used to make sure there are no further problems with the individual that may require treatment.
Voluntarily, an individual in Philadelphia can enter any treatment program they feel is necessary, so long as the treatment program accepts their insurance. A court order is not necessary to get individual help, however, a court order is sometimes mandatory and used as a means to get individuals to attend a program in cases where individuals do not realize that they need help, in lieu of incarceration.
DUI Education Materials
In Philadelphia, when an individual attends a DUI course and/or safe driving class, the types of materials typically used are statistics that show death rates that are caused by driving under the influence. Movies and other media are often shown to prove the effects of drugs and/or alcohol on a person’s system, including slowed reaction time, that can prove deadly behind the wheel.
The purpose of a DUI safe driving course is to dissuade an individual from getting another DUI in the future. It simply explains the effects of alcohol and/or drugs upon a person’s body and the reactionary time when a person is operating motor vehicles. Additionally, materials will be provided not just on death, but on serious other consequences of driving under the influence, such as the significant rise in the person’s insurance, the inability to drive back and forth to work, the inability for an individual to obtain certain employment, as well as the public embarrassment that comes along with a DUI conviction.
All of these are discussed in a discretionary fashion at such classes so that individuals charged with driving under the influence in Pennsylvania are even more aware of the consequences that their future behavior may cause if they continue to drive under the influence.
DUI Education Program Operations
In the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the drug and alcohol programs are administered through a government contract with private groups. These private groups that will then schedule appointments with individuals, and the individuals will attend the meetings. These private groups have psychologists, psychiatrists, and other resources as their means of aiding those individuals taking such classes.
Additionally, state troopers and/or representatives of the police department are often present at these classes in order for participants to see what kind of negative impact driving under the influence has not only on themselves, but on society or the city of Philadelphia as a whole. The classes are thus a joint effort between private organizations contracted by the city and state as well as local law enforcement that advise individuals to get the treatment they need as well as discuss any problems they may have so as to avoid more DUIs in the future.
Online DUI Courses
In Philadelphia, currently there are no online DUI courses available that meet the requirements of what would otherwise be the requirements of a DUI conviction or diversionary program. Therefore, in Pennsylvania, an individual cannot take such DUI courses mandated by the court online at this time. Pennsylvania is of the mindset that a person who commits such a crime needs to take some responsibility for such a crime and needs to make some sacrifices to remedy their offense.
In Philadelphia, it is a requirement that an individual attends classes in person, participates at all required programs in person, and make all restitution and/or payments promptly and in person. Therefore, online programs are not an option in Pennsylvania.
Group Therapy Activities in Philadelphia
In Philadelphia, some of the group activities that involve these DUI classes revolve around local and state police officers coming to such classes to discuss the statistics of death and other dangers caused by driving under the influence. Additionally, there’s often a lecture and/or conversation with experts about a person’s reaction time while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and its relation to operating a motor vehicle. If a pedestrian is walking in a crosswalk and a driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, their reaction time may not be fast enough to stop and avoid hitting the pedestrian.
The most important part of any drug or alcohol class or safe driving school class is that the individual participant is made aware of the ramifications of their actions and the harm their actions could do to themselves as well as others. Therefore, it is the number one goal to teach participants in this class the extreme dangers of driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and the consequences that often lead to death and/or serious impairment of other individuals.
Traffic School After a DUI Conviction
In Philadelphia, after a person has been convicted of a DUI and/or has accepted a diversionary program in lieu of incarceration, certain requirements indicated by the court must be met. Therefore, a person obtaining their own program regardless of the court’s specific requirements is not going to be of benefit to their conviction. However if they feel that they require further training in operating an automobile or further counseling, they are always welcome to voluntarily do so.
However, if an individual feels they need further treatment than what the court requires, they can speak to an experienced Philadelphia DUI attorney and perhaps seek out a program well-known by the attorney that is covered by the individual’s insurance.
