Victim Panels

This gives victims a different way to work through the recovery/grieving process. It also gives DUI offenders the opportunity to see the outcomes, tragedies, and other negative effects of DUI crashes.

At each 1-1/2 hour session, two-three victims sit on a panel in front of the offenders and simply tell their story of how a DUI crash changed their life forever.

Each victim speaks for approximately twenty to twenty five minutes, and never blames or preaches to the offenders. In addition, a variety of educational, impactful videos are shown.

Offenders are asked to fill out a survey about the panel; this survey asks questions regarding their age, how many DUI’s they’ve had, how they feel before and after the panel, if they think they would ever drive impaired again, how fair they feel sentencing is for offenders in KS, etc. ultimately gauging the impact the panel had on their mindsets.

We collect their payment of $95 and provide a certificate verifying attendance sent through email to the offender, their supervising officer, as well as the court their DUI is through. After the offenders have left, staff and victims have time to talk out any emotional feelings that resurfaced during the evening.

In 1983, District Court Judge David S. Admire and a citizen, Shirley Anderson, started the first DUI Victim Panel in Redmond, Virginia. Judge Admire believed that the DUI offenders coming before him did not realize the seriousness of the possible consequences of impaired driving. Anderson knew the worst possible consequences; her son having been killed by a drunk driver.

We have had over 200,000 offenders in our panels since 2000. The program is being utilized in 44 states since 1998.

• Offered in Wichita since 1990; offered in Spanish since 1995.
• Court ordered by 10 Judicial Districts.
• Requests from other districts being reviewed.
• Associated with 55.75 overall decrease in DUI re-arrest.