Michael F. Niznik

Montgomery County is ending the DUI Court program. The Court cited the high volume of DUI cases as its reason for the termination. The Montgomery County DUI Court differed from the Philadelphia DUI Treatment Court in that, in Montgomery County, the Court was not focused on treatment in any way. Instead, the Montgomery Court simply lumped all DUI cases into the same courtroom and treated all DUI defendants the same way. Always treating one charge the same way is not the best c

I am often asked about DUI diversionary programs. A diversionary program is a program that allows a defendant to participate in a certain course of action (classes, probation, etc.) rather than face the normal courtroom procedures for a criminal charge. In Philadelphia, there are two main diversionary programs pertaining to Driving Under the Influence charges. First, there is the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program (ARD) for defendants charged with a first offense