What can be done with guys like this?

[Archae]

Lock them up for good?

Green Bay Man Arrested for 10th Offense OWI

Police arrest a Green Bay man over the weekend, suspected of drunk driving for the 10th time. Green Bay Police say they found the 64-year-old asleep at the wheel on a busy street early Sunday morning.

“We usually have, on any given weekend, at least one patrol that’s out that’s dedicated specifically to detection and apprehension of impaired driving,” explains Green Bay Police Lt. Karl Ackermann.

And this weekend was no different. A Green Bay Police officer, working overtime on a special federally-funded OWI grant, spotted a car, stopped, half on the sidewalk of a business on the west side. Police say they found Steven Delorme passed out at the wheel.

“Car in gear and sound asleep, so it was not a safe situation,” says Ackermann.

Officers were able to get the car in park before arresting Delorme on his 10th drunk driving offense.

“You can probably count one, hopefully not more than two hands, the number of times that you run into people that have made that same mistake that many times. Fortunately, it’s not higher,” says Ackermann.

Action 2 News looked at the most recent stats on repeat OWIs available from the Wisconsin DOT. In 2013, statewide, four people were convicted for 10th offense. The year before, it was five people. Looking all the way back to 2007, those numbers haven’t changed much.

But it doesn’t stop at 10th offense. Just in 2013, the state reported two 11th offense, two 12th offense and one 14th offense OWI conviction. That 14th came in Jackson County.

http://wbay.com/2015/03/02/green-bay-man-arrested-for-10th-offense-owi/

[elleng]

1. Something like that.

Alcoholism is hard to defeat, and at the point that it becomes a hazard to the populace at large, locking them up seems appropriate.

[GP6971]

2. But how to you treat

repeat offenders? It's a huge problem and I personally don't think there are any good answers. A 10th offender has been through the "system" and the system doesn't appear to work. With offenders like these, maybe prolonged, sober jail time is the answer....with counseling of course.

[elleng]

3. Definitely prolonged sober jail time,

and counseling. AA may be useful, but they have to want to get sober. It's a horrible disease.

[GP6971]

4. They have to hit the gutter face down first

They have to hit rock bottom and more importantly, realize that and want to better themselves. Only then, will they accept offers and services that will help them. For this guy, I think incarceration is the only option at this point......a forced intervention so to speak.

[elleng]

5. Jail should be 'rock bottom' for some/many.

[GP6971]

7. Not really

They'll just think it's something imposed on them....that's my opinion I might add. They'll do their time and get out and then continue on their ways. Only when they realize the destruction they cause to themselves and their family will they realize the harm they caused to themselves and their loved ones.

Bottom line is they need to want, and sincerely want to change to their lifestyle..... change their destructive behavior. In order to do so, they need to fall into a gutter and say "what am I doing?. Only then, can constructive change take place.

Just my opinion as it relates to alcohol......not drugs.

[elleng]

8. I'm familiar with the 'syndrome,' re: alcohol,

and I do think prolonged jail time will suffice as 'bottom' for some. Others require 'confrontation,' to be prepared to recognize they have no control over their condition (which they don't; it's genetic.) And for others, another 'gutter' as you say.

[Warpy]

6. While we have the unconstitutional body of law called forefeiture

start impounding and auctioning the cars of repeat offenders unless the cars have been reported stolen by another person, in which case grand theft auto will keep them in jail for a much longer time than DUI will.

It's about the only way to turn them from drunk drivers who threaten everybody else to drunk pedestrians who are mostly a danger to themselves.

We have double digit drunks here in NM, multiples of them. They started to impound cars here in the city and I've seen a couple of auctions.

http://newmexicodwilaw.com/forfeiture.htm

The city is barely breaking even on it but it does seem to be reducing the number of repeaters. Few can afford to buy car after car, even from one of the junker lots.