{"id":11966,"date":"2018-06-12T20:49:05","date_gmt":"2018-06-12T20:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madd.org\/?p=11966"},"modified":"2022-06-13T12:32:41","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T12:32:41","slug":"volunteer-monitor-dui-court-proceedings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madd.org\/volunteer-monitor-dui-court-proceedings\/","title":{"rendered":"Volunteers monitor DUI court proceedings"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a drunk driver hit Virginia resident Susan Cleveland \u2014 just a block from her house and with three kids in her car \u2014 a feeling of distress overwhelmed her immediately.\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

And that was just the start of it.<\/p>\n

A Commonwealth attorney told Susan the three-time DWI offende<\/a>r who hit her would \u201cserve serious time.\u201d<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t happen. The driver\u2019s case was continued six times before he was sentenced for a first-time offense.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Susan called Mothers Against Drunk Driving\u00ae.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew what it was like to have another person injure your child,\u201d says Susan \u2014 whose son had been in another serious car crash just a year before, in which he had suffered a depressed skull fracture. \u201cI told MADD I wanted to help victims and monitor these drunk driving hearings.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s been at it almost 30\u00a0years now.<\/p>\n

Volunteers come to her house every week to input data, and the judges and attorneys are used to seeing her in the courtroom observing cases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe police officers are glad I\u2019m in the courtroom,\u201d says Susan. \u201cThey also thank us for coming to sobriety checkpoints and appreciate that we care about what they are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still waiting for the courts to learn that technicalities shouldn\u2019t reduce charges,\u201d<\/div>
\nCurrently in 12 states and growing, MADD\u2019s Court Monitoring program sends hundreds of volunteers like Susan into courtrooms to ensure drunk driving cases are prosecuted and sentenced as serious crimes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still waiting for the courts to learn that technicalities shouldn\u2019t reduce charges,\u201d Susan says. \u201cIt isn\u2019t fair to the victims when the judicial system isn\u2019t upheld.\u201d<\/p>\n

The court monitors are MADD\u2019s eyes\u00a0and ears across the nation. They look for trends and inconsistencies and, when appropriate, present these findings to prosecutors and judges.<\/p>\n

Studies show courtroom observers like Susan can positively affect outcomes, and their reporting contributes to information that can lead to higher conviction rates.<\/p>\n

For Susan, it\u2019s a mission.<\/p>\n

At age 18, her son developed epilepsy from the first crash he was in. When he was 25, he died from related complications.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son\u2019s experience sent me into victim advocate mode,\u201d\u00a0Susan says. \u201cI just want to help,\u00a0because I know what it\u2019s like to have\u00a0someone affect your life permanently\u2026Families shouldn\u2019t have to go through this kind of tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Join Susan. Find out how you can become a volunteer court monitor for MADD.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When a drunk driver hit Virginia resident Susan Cleveland \u2014 just a block from her house and with three kids in her car \u2014 a feeling of distress overwhelmed her… Continue reading Volunteers monitor DUI court proceedings<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,176,60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-court-system","category-cat-drunk-driving","category-law-enforcement","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVolunteers monitor DUI court proceedings - MADD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"he court monitors are MADD\u2019s eyes\u00a0and ears across the nation. 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