Penalties are not effective in deterring repeat-DUI offenses, said Ohio Highway Patrol Lt. Rick Zwayer. 968 Ohioans have more than 10 DUI convictions.
There are too many double-digit offenders in the state
said Athens Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Dean. Sometimes the penalty doesn't go far enough to deter multiple offenders from committing the same crime again.
Since Jan. 1, Athens Highway Patrol has arrested 32 multiple-time offenders for driving while intoxicated, Dean said.
A driver who accumulates four DUIs in six years or six DUIs in 20 years is subject to felony charges that can result in 120 days to five years in prison, Athens City Prosecutor Mike Miller said. A lower-level misdemeanor DUI charge, where a driver has a blood alcohol content below .17, can result in a three-day jail sentence or alcohol rehabilitation program, plus a $250 fine and a six-month license suspension.
Athens charges more than 700 people with DUIs each year, Miller said, adding that repeat offenders make up a comparatively small number of cases.
However, of the 10 fatal crashes that occurred in Athens County in 2005, four involved repeat-DUI offenders and four involved drivers who were not properly licensed, some of which had suspended licenses from DUI charges, Dean said.
Our officers understand the importance of removing impaired drivers from the road Dean said. We're doing as much as we can do and then some but our numbers keep going up.
This year's DUI arrests are higher than a comparable period from last year, he said. Athens Highway Patrol removed 90 impaired drivers from the road in January and February.
Many multiple-DUI offenders are driving under suspension, said Athens police Chief Richard Mayer, adding that penalties are often insufficient in discouraging drunk drivers.
Those with repeat alcohol offenses often have severe alcohol abuse problems that cannot be solved by court sentences, Miller said.
For most people
the penalties are high enough that the first time is their last time
Miller said.
Short of locking these people up to their lifetimes
there's nothing we can do to stop them
he said.
Ohio is now changing laws to penalize drug offenders more heavily and charging anyone with a prior DUI offense with a high-level alcohol offense if he or she refuses a Breathalyzer test, Miller said.
Mayer said he would like to see more swift and sure penalties for intoxicated driving, but realizes any increased penalty comes with increased costs to the public. Increased jail time is often impractical because there is not enough space to house DUI offenders in southeastern Ohio jails, he said.
There's no easy fix
Mayer said. Just raising the penalties is not looking at all the issues.
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