If you are facing your second, third or fourth DUI conviction, your options are very limited. You have to win at trial, otherwise your only plea option will result in another conviction, which includes jail or prison time, a license suspension or revocation, fines, probation and more. Some Oregon Counties, however, have developed programs to help individuals avoid a lengthy jail sentence by opting for intensive treatment and monitoring instead. Multnomah County’s DISP program is one of these programs.
The DUI Intensive Supervision Program (DISP) is a special diversion-like program that is offered in Multnomah County for repeat DUI offenders. Clackamas county offers a similar program called “DUI Court,” but DISP is better because you typically only spend one night in jail for DISP. DISP is not a program for a first or even a second-time DUI offender. DISP is instead a program for people who are working on their third, fourth, even fifth DUI. It is for people who have felony DUI charges due to there being so many DUIs. In other words, it’s for people who have a serious alcohol problem.
DISP is no joke when it comes to reforming a person’s drinking habits. To enter DISP you must sign away your right to drink alcohol for three whole years. In addition to this, you can’t even have alcohol in your house. You can’t own a car. You have to report to your probation officer quite frequently, and you cannot hang out at places like bars anymore. You also would have to engage in a course of treatment to see that your sobriety is maintained.
The upside for all of this is that a person who enters DISP typically gets to avoid going to jail on charges that would have them inside for a year or more. Make no mistake: DISP is a huge committment. People mess up in DISP and they are thrown in jail. It’s the last chance, a get out of jail not-so-free card. We can help you be successful in DISP. Give us a call if you think this program is for you.
