What Classes Do You Take When You Get A DUI?

What Classes Do You Take When You Get A DUI?

When you plead or are convicted of driving under the influence, you are required by Oklahoma Statute to take certain classes during your probation. Regardless of whether your DUI is a misdemeanor or a felony, you are required to take a drug and alcohol assessment, a victims impact panel, and a DUI class called “ADSAC.”

What is a Drug and Alcohol Assessment?

A drug and alcohol assessment should be the first step you take after you plead on a DUI, or even before you plead if you would like to get ahead and possibly get a better deal because of it.

During a drug and alcohol assessment you will be paired with a certified assessor. They will ask you to fill out and answer a series of questions, and they will also discuss your arrest with you and what happened leading up to your arrest. This meeting is typically in person and can take about an hour and a half to 2 hours. During your assessment, it is helpful if you bring your ticket or arrest report with you to the assessment.

Many people believe they should downplay any addictions they may have in an effort to get a better deal, but it is important to be honest on these assessments. It is confidential and will not be seen by the prosecutor on your case. It is also designed to provide recommendations that will benefit you in the future and prevent any future criminal activity related to drugs or alcohol. Assessors can also recommend free services you could utilize if you need help.

Upon completion of your drug and alcohol assessment, they will make recommendations to you. These recommendations will almost always include the victims impact panel and ADSAC, which you are required to take regardless. You will need to complete these recommendations in order to comply with your terms of probation.

The Drug and alcohol assessment will normally cost around $100-$175. There are many Drug and Alcohol assessment locations available to you, but we recommend ADSAC DUI School.

What is a Victims Impact Panel?

A victims impact panel is designed to prevent future DUI’s through an emotional appeal. It is a collection of individuals who have been impacted by drunk driving. These victims tell their story about how a DUI impacted their life, in an effort to prevent you from driving drunk in the future.

All of these stories look different, and it is designed to appeal to many different people. You may hear from a mother whose child was killed in a drunk driving accident. You may hear from a man who was a drunk driver that killed someone, and now must live with that guilt. You could hear from a man who was hit by a drunk driver and is now paralyzed. Many panels will include a firefighter or police officer that has worked a drunk driving accident, and deals with the trauma of seeing people severely hurt from these accidents.

There are many different Victims Impact Panels in the state of Oklahoma. Some are even offered online. However, if you are court ordered to participate in a victims impact panel, the court will not accept an online VIP. One popular Victims Impact Panel, which is approved by the court, is the Victims Impact Panel of Oklahoma.

They provide Victim’s impact panels multiple times a day all over the state of Oklahoma. The class costs $75, and you will be provided a certificate of completion to take to court with you to show that you have taken the panel.

What is ADSAC?

ADSAC is the DUI school you take after you have completed your drug and alcohol assessment. ADSAC stands for Alcohol and Drug Substance Abuse Courses. You must complete your drug and alcohol assessment prior to taking the ADSAC class, but you can choose to take the victims impact panel either before or after ADSAC.

After your drug and alcohol assessment, they will recommend you take either a 10 or 24 hour ADSAC. In some extreme cases, they could even recommend residential treatment in place of the typical 10 or 24 hour ADSAC. This is rare, and doesn’t normally happen on a first or second DUI.

You will then complete either your 10 or 24 hour ADSAC classes, which they call “interventions.” You will have to complete these within 6 months of getting the drug and alcohol assessment or you may be required to get another assessment done.

These interventions can look very different depending on where you get your services and what your needs are. It often looks similar to an alcoholic’s anonymous group with some recommendations on how to cope with trauma outside of self medicating and de-escalation tactics when you are in situations that may lead to increased anger and subsequently increased substance abuse.

There are many places you can go for ADSAC services in Oklahoma, but we recommend ADSAC DUI School.

What do I do once I have completed all of my classes?

Each class you complete will provide you with a certificate.. After you complete all of your required classes you will get a red stamped sheet that will show you completed the full program. Once you have it, YOU MUST TURN YOUR COMPLETED SLIP INTO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SUPERVISION OFFICE. Many people incorrectly believe that these agencies report the completion to the DA supervision office. This is incorrect; either you or your attorney must turn this completed sheet into the DA supervision office or you will violate your probation

The Bottom Line

There are many required classes that come along with a DUI . You do not have to wait until after you have plead to begin taking these classes. You can begin taking them at any point, and can use completion as a bargaining tool for a better plea offer. Once you have finished all of your classes, you must turn them into the DA supervision office. Navigating which agencies are court approved and when to take the classes can be confusing, so make sure you hire an attorney with extensive DUI experience to guide you through the process.