Have you ever been involved on the wrong side of the criminal justice system...made a bad choice and found yourself in a world wind of requirements set by Judges, probation officers, counselors…having to attend hearings, probation appointments, treatment, drug and alcohol tests…costing you valuable time…costing you thousands of dollars…all while you are required to be employed with our current economy, where jobs are scares and having a criminal conviction faces you down with either lying on your job application or being passed up for the applicant who has no record.

Let us add another aspect to this discussion.  Not only do the courts, probation departments, treatment and drug/alcohol testing facilities have their financial obligations you must fulfill in order to stay out of jail/prison, but now the Secretary of State has thrown their hat into the ring on a whole new level.  In past years, individuals who have been convicted of drunk driving had their licenses suspended or revoked.  To most of us, this is understandable and reasonable.  After all, they put our citizens and themselves in great danger when they decided to get behind the wheel impaired.  Obviously, their right to drive a moving lethal weapon should be impacted.  However, in the last few years, in their infinite wisdom, the Secretary of State and Judicial System have collaborated and justified suspending or revoking the licenses of individuals who have been convicted of drug charges, failing to pay child support, unrelated violations of probation, and the list goes on.

As we all know, our state has been in financial trouble for quit some time.  The Secretary of State has been trying to lend a “helping hand” in generating more revenue through extending the web of whose licenses they suspend and revoke.  How does this “help?”  With every suspension and revocation, there are fees attached to having it reinstated, not only when the individual is eligible to drive again but they are also required to pay a Driver’s Responsibility fee in the same year and for 2 more years there after.  And we are not talking chump change here, in the hundreds to thousands of dollars.  Another piece of information to add to this equation is the fact that the cost to run our judicial system is the state’s largest line item in its budget, using up approximately 1/3 of every dollar.

Allow me now to put this picture all together, plainly and simply.  By crippling these individuals with taking away their means to travel to and from probation appointments, treatment, drug and alcohol tests, not to mention work (if they can obtain and maintain one with a record and no license), we completely set them up for failure.  I realize you all may be saying, “Well, they put themselves in this situation,” and I agree.  However, if their bad decision making was not related to driving, where is logic in that?  And, because it is virtually impossible to maintain full compliance with all of these requirements, physically and financially, many of these individuals end up in violation of their probation or getting pulled over and picking up a new charge of Driving While Suspended and are ultimately jailed at the end of the day anyway.  The cost of having these individuals in jail is much higher than it is to keep them in the community, involved in treatment to help them rehabilitate, not mention bogging down the probation officers and Judges with violation paperwork and hearings. 

Conclusion:  The Secretary of State is not “helping” but is failing to see the bigger picture of their ill-fated attempt to drawn in more money to help our state’s economy.  By damaging these individuals ability to travel and putting their hands deeply into their pockets, they have become the “driving” force behind the many failures that have resulted in increased jail days and increased costs to each and every citizen of this state.  And, by the way, how do I know this vicious cycle is accurate?  I am a corrections officer.