SANTA BARBARA COUNTY PROBATION DEPARTMENT AWARDED GRANT TO SUPERVISE DUI PROBATIONERS

Source: Santa Barbara County Probation Department

The Santa Barbara County Probation Department is the recipient of a one-year, $176,912.00 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a probation monitoring program of repeat DUI probationers.

In the United States one death occurs every 50 minutes as a result of traffic collisions by impaired drivers. Additionally, alcohol-impaired crashes resulting in fatalities are 4.5 times more likely to involve drivers with prior convictions for DUI than drivers with no previous DUI convictions. In an effort to reduce DUI related injuries and fatalities, high risk DUI probationers are provided with intense supervision using funds from the OTS grant.

The grant period is from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022, and provides funding for a Deputy Probation Officer to provide enhanced supervision to DUI probationers that present the highest risk to the community. Enhanced supervision includes frequent and random testing for alcohol consumption, continuous remote alcohol monitoring, increased contacts, as well as regular DUI Treatment Court Reviews. Additionally, the Deputy Probation Officer works with each probationer to develop an effective treatment plan addressing individual needs, with the goal of reducing recidivism.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information about the County of Santa Barbara Probation Department, go to www.sbprobation.org.