DUI Courts are state funded court programs that generally offer rehabilitation rather than incarceration for repeat DUI offenders.   The Fulton County DUI Court in downtown Atlanta has evolved  into one of the more reasonable programs for repeat DUI offenders.  There are 13 DUI Court programs across the state. Some have good reputations and in some jurisdictions knowledgeable attorney's recommend trial or jail over DUI court.   The programs generally involve weekly or biweekly court attendance in the afternoons, weekly AA attendance, weekly counseling, random drug screens and home inspecitions.  This can be difficult if not impossible for defendants who have lost their driver's license for one year and are having to take a 17 week DUI risk reduction course to get their license back anyway.   In Fulton County the DUI Court is presided over by Judge Susan Forsling.  Judge Forsling is generally regarded as reasonable and fair but firm.  In Fulton County in return for a probated sentence DUI Court participants are required for the first 90 days to attend three, two and a half hour treatment sessions; three Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or 12-step meetings every week; two random drug and alcohol screens a week; attend court twice a month, expect random home visits and visit probation every month.  If they violate the 90 clock starts over and they have to go through all of that again.  In some counties the DUI court requires similar to Fulton Counties can last for up to 18 months.  Some defendants feel that they will spend less time in jail than DUI court and figure they will probably lose their job and without tranportation fail to make it to one of their meetings.  Other Defendants will do anything to avoid even a day of jail.  It is a decision that must be weighed carefully.   

In 2002, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety provided grant funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to the Administrative Office of the Courts of Georgia to establish specialized court dockets to manage chronic DUI offenders (those with two or more convictions for driving under the influence). Three DUI Courts were implemented in the State Courts of Athens-Clarke County, Chatham County, and Hall County to provide intensive judicial oversight, substance abuse treatment, and offender accountability.

Clayton County in Jonesboro, Georgia; Gwinnett County DUI Court in Lawrenceville, Georgia; Cherokee County in Canton, Georgia; DeKalb County in Decatur, Georgia; Troup County in LaGrange, Georgia.  For more information on the Fulton County DUI Court: Click Here

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