Students to observe sobering costs of DUI arrests when real court trial held at school gym

Press release

SACRAMENTO鈥擶est Campus High School students will see firsthand on March 24 the legal consequences that come after an arrest for driving under the influence when the campus plays host to the DUI Court in Schools Program.

Students will witness a real DUI court proceeding at the campus with an actual judge and defendant as well as actual attorneys. The students will also observe whatever punishment the judge issues.

In 2006, the Judicial Council of California developed the Real DUI Court in Schools Project to help reduce the number of teen DUI offenses in California. According to the program, vehicle crashes are the number one cause of deaths among teens, and the primary collision factor is alcohol. Below is the day鈥檚 schedule.

West Campus is located at 5022 58th St. in Sacramento.

DUI Court in Schools Program Schedule:

9:30 鈥 9:32 a.m. (2 min.)         Introductions 鈥 The program will begin with a brief welcome.

9:32 鈥 9:37 a.m. (5 min.)         TAC Video Begins 鈥 This video plays for 5 minutes.

9:37 鈥 10:02 a.m. (25 min.)     California Highway Patrol 鈥 A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) from the California Highway Patrol will discuss DUI/DUID from the law enforcement perspective, Phase 1-3, Field Sobriety Tests, and the dangers of impaired driving. Disclaimer will appear on screen w/voice - 鈥淧lease come to order. This court has the responsibility of sentencing individuals who have been convicted of crimes. These include people who drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The judge and the attorneys here today are all real. The defendant you will see today has been convicted of driving under the influence and the sentence he/she receives today is the real punishment that will occur in this case. Court is about to begin. Please remain quiet for the next hour while court is in session.鈥

10:02 鈥 10:47 a.m. (45 min.)   Call to Order

Court in Session

Post-Sentencing Presentation 鈥 The judge will formally announce that court is in recess, walk away from the bench and introduce the next phase of the program. The judge will talk to the students about pertinent information concerning driving under the influence, recent court cases or anything else they see fit for this venue. The attorneys will be invited to participate in this portion of the event. Students may ask questions at this point in the program.

10:47 鈥 10:58 a.m. (11 min.)   Q&A 鈥 Student participation

10:58 鈥 11:00 a.m. (2 min.)    Adjournment 鈥 The program director will thank all participants and dignitaries then dismiss the students to their next class.

Lunch Time Activities:

During lunch time the conversation about prevention will continue along with hands-on activities. Students will have an opportunity to talk directly with local law enforcement officers. The Sacramento Police Department DUI Enforcement Team and representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving will be on-site to conduct simulated FST (Field Sobriety Tests) with Fatal Vision goggles, timed distracted driving tests and more.