The Ten Guiding Principles of DWI Courts
The DWI court should select a target population that possesses significant criminal and substance dependency histories and strive to alter those behaviors that present a clear danger to their respective communities. The target population must be of sufficient size to have community impact, yet be modest enough to allow DWI courts to provide participants the services necessary to effect change. Targeting of a population is the process of identifying a subset of the DWI offender population for
inclusion in the DWI court program. This is a complex task given that DWI courts, in comparison to traditional drug court programs, accept only one type of offender:
the person who drives while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The DWI court target population, therefore, must be clearly defined, with eligibility criteria clearly documented.