What do you need to know about court ordered drug and alcohol evaluations in Illinois? First - anyone with a DUI in Illinois must have a DUI evaluation.
The reason a drug and alcohol evaluation is required by a judge is because it will affect the nature of sentencing - making it important to take the DUI evaluation seriously. Illinois wants to know the extent of the alcohol and or drug use and its associated risk to current/future public safety.
The DUI evaluation will take into account several things, including whether there are other prior DUIs, the blood alcohol content at time of arrest, and whether the individual meets the DSM-5 criteria for substance abuse.
Level 1: Minimal Risk
Level 2: Moderate Risk
Level 3: Significant Risk
Level 4: High Risk
Each risk level carries a different set of recommendations for treatment, and the treatment must be completed to fulfill court requirements. At a very minimum, an individual will be required to attend 10 hours of risk education classes.
Minimal Risk Intervention: 10 hours risk education classes
Moderate Risk Intervention: 12 hrs substance abuse treatment
Significant Risk intervention: 20 hours substance abuse treatment
High Risk intervention: 75 hours substance abuse treatment
Tips for DUI Evaluation
Before the evaluation, it’s important to gather the information you will need to bring with you:
Copy of Driving Abstract (also known as a Driving History) from DMV
Copy of the Sworn Report from the night of arrest. This is available by request from the police station.
Corroborating story from another person, usually a spouse or close friend to verify your alcohol/drug history. If you can bring that person to the DUI Evaluation, it’s helpful. However, the corroborating story can also be obtained via phone.
During the evaluation, a licensed counselor will conduct an interview, ask about past drug or alcohol use, and what happened the night of the arrest. It can take about an hour. It’s important not to lie, because if caught, the judge will not be lenient on sentencing.
Care Addiction Center has been working with the court system in Kane County over 8 years, and because of the minimum treatment requirement, most choose to start treatment right away instead of waiting for the hearing.
Care Addiction Center offers all treatment levels from mild to moderate and severe with evening and weekend hours.
If you received a DUI in Kane County, Care Addiction can help. Call us at 630-402-0144 to schedule a DUI Evaluation and be prepared for court. In some cases, we are able to complete DUI Evaluations the same day.