A victim impact panel is a program that is modeled after the Scared Straight program. The purpose of the victim impact panel is they have one-and-a-half-hour long educational class as the consequences of DUI. The victim impact panel is run by Mothers Against Drunk Driving or MADD. Victim impact panels are held on the first Monday of every month at the National Guard Armory on Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach across the street from the Sheriff’s Office. A person cannot show up there high or have any alcohol on their breath because they will be tested. If someone has been charged with a DUI offense and wants to know more about West Palm Beach DUI victim impact panels, they should consult an adept DUI lawyer that could answer their questions.
What Happens During Victim Panel?
During West Palm Beach DUI victim impact panels an individual will hear from people who perhaps killed someone as a result of a DUI crash or seriously injured someone as it relates to a DUI crash and how it has affected their life, and how they wish they had stopped drinking or stopped drinking and driving before this happened. The person may also hear from family members who have lost a loved one or significant other to a DUI crash or accident. Individuals may also hear from someone who has been permanently injured or scarred for life as a result of being injured by a driver who was DUI. The panel is meant to show the impact of DUIs upon victims and family members so that the DUI driver or the person who has been charged and convicted of a DUI can understand how their actions affect their community.
Who organizes the victim impact panels in West Palm Beach? Is it a government program?
West Palm Beach DUI victim impact panels are organized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and it is a private, not-for-profit lobbying group. They organize it and present the entire program once a month in West Palm Beach as a private entity. The programs are an hour and a half long and they are not on the weekends. It typically starts after work at around 6:30 or 7:00.Some people typically do not have to take off work to attend, unless they work at night because then, they would not be able to.
Alternatives to Victim Impact Panels
There is an alternative program that is sometimes accepted by the court in the event that someone cannot attend West Palm Beach DUI impact panels. It is called You Impact. You Impact is an online class, and sometimes an attorney could negotiate so that an individual could take the online class instead of the in-person class instead.
There are people that can go on that one night and cannot come on other nights. Those people might have to make alternative arrangements to ensure that they can attend their courses. What is is most important in this situation is transparency. If an individual thinks that they will not be able to attend the panel, they should consult their attorney to see if it there are alternatives.
