A STUDY OF OUTSTANDING DWI WARRANTS

This final report documents a project on how outstanding warrants are handled for individuals who have been charged or convicted of offenses related to driving while impaired/intoxicated (DWI), but who have absconded or defaulted in either court appearances or in fulfilling sanctions. The specific project objectives were to identify the nature and extent of the DWI outstanding warrant problem, including the situations which lead to the issuance of such warrants, and to identify promising strategies that jurisdictions are using to eliminate or minimize this problem in their communities. These objectives were met utilizing focus groups; site studies, including a review of pertinent data; and in-depth reviews of three innovative programs for dealing with outstanding DWI warrants. The main finding was that a widespread lack of resources and data systems able to assess the situation and identify problems make it difficult to quantify the numbers of outstanding warrants related to DWI offenses and devise solutions. The findings, along with conclusions and recommendations, are provided in this report.