MADD SC to release Report highlighting Low DUI Conviction Rates

Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) in South Carolina will be releasing a new report to the public this week called “A Lack of Conviction.” The report presents data on the outcomes of misdemeanor DUI cases in 2016 and 2017 in the 5th Judicial Circuit (Richland, Kershaw) and 13th Judicial Circuit (Greenville, Pickens) and the unacceptably low percentage of DUI arrests that end up as DUI convictions. MADD will hold a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 28, at 10am in Courtroom 3 of the Greenville County Courthouse at 305 East North Street. The following people will be in attendance: Steven Burritt, MADD South Carolina Executive Director, 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins and victims of drunk driving crashes. In 2016, 331 people in South Carolina were killed in drunk driving crashes. Nationwide, more than 10,000 lives were lost due to drunk driving and around 300,000 people were injured in drunk driving crashes. South Carolina is among the worst states in the nation for drunk driving with the sixth most drunk driving fatalities in 2016. MADD’s Court Monitoring efforts support its Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®, which calls for high-visibility law enforcement, ignition interlocks or “in-car breathalyzers” for all convicted drunk drivers and support for the development of advanced technology to turn cars into the cure for drunk driving. MADD’s data comes from its Court Monitoring initiative, and the report highlights fundamental problems with South Carolina’s DUI laws, resources for DUI prosecution in many areas, and the challenges prosecutors face inside the courtroom. The report includes recommendations for judges, the legislature, prosecutors, and officers in order to reduce the unnecessary barriers to DUI convictions in South Carolina. Copies of the report can be found online at www.madd.org/south-carolina/.