What Can You Expect at a Victims’ Impact Panel?
Drivers who operated a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol in Oklahoma may receive a variety of interventions, including a victims’ impact panel. If you have to attend a victims’ impact panel (VIP), you may not know what to expect. Come prepared by learning about the panel’s purpose.
Why Do I Have to Attend a VIP?
When trying to get your driver’s license back, you may have to take a DUI assessment, also called an ADSAC assessment. The ADSAC assessor will recommend interventions for you. Successful completion of the interventions will allow you to get your driving privileges reinstated. Of the possible interventions, the victims’ impact panel is unique because you hear the stories of people impacted by driving under the influence. VIPs are not intended to be scary or stressful experiences, but rather to help DUI drivers see the impact of their choices on others.
What Happens at a VIP?
At a victims’ impact panel, speakers share their stories with an audience who are largely people with DUIs. The speakers include people whose lives were impacted by driving under the influence, such as people who were in crashes or family members of people killed by DUI drivers. Other speakers may be DUI offenders who want to tell their stories, emergency responders, and law enforcement officials.
Usually the speakers tell personal stories about their experiences with driving under the influence. They may share photos with the audience. Some speakers may get emotional when sharing their stories, if they lost a loved one to a crash or killed someone while driving drunk.
How Much Does a VIP Cost?
Most victims’ impact panels cost about $50.00 to attend. Provider organizations use the fees to fund production of more victims’ impact panels in the future.
How Do I Find a VIP to Attend?
Oklahoma has several organizations that run victims’ impact panels throughout the state on a regular basis. Check with your ADSAC assessor to find a qualifying organization near you. Note that online victims’ impact panels do not meet Oklahoma state requirements.
Wondering about your sentencing and intervention options while facing a DUI charge? Seek out a DUI attorney with the know-how to tackle your case the right way from the start. Clint Patterson, Esq., of Patterson Law Firm, a former Tulsa prosecutor, now teaches other attorneys and law enforcement about sobriety testing techniques and defends Oklahoma drivers charged with DUIs. To schedule a case evaluation, visit Patterson Law Firm online or call Clint’s office at (918) 550-9175.