Press Release

Hardcore Drunk Driving Judicial Guide Recognized For Its Ambitious and Effective Judicial Education Effort

WASHINGTON, DC — The Century Council’s “Hardcore
Drunk Driving Judicial Guide—A Resource Outlining Judicial Challenges,
Effective Strategies and Model Programs” won the Peter K. O’Rourke
Special Achievement Award at the Governors Highway Safety Association
conference today in Portland, Oregon. The Century Council is a
national not-for-profit organization funded by America’s leading
distillers including- Bacardi U.S.A., Inc.; Brown-Forman; Constellation
Brands, Inc.; DIAGEO; Future Brands LLC; Hood River Distillers, Inc;
and Sidney Frank Importing Co. Inc., and is dedicated to fighting drunk
driving and underage drinking. The Council develops and implements
innovative programs, including the hardcore drunk driving judicial
education project, to help judges effectively adjudicate hardcore drunk
driving cases.

This ambitious judicial education effort was born out of American
judges’ and public safety officials’ frustration with a growing
judicial education gap. The Century Council’s Judicial Education
Project, developed with the assistance of the National Association of
State Judicial Educators, helps to fill this gap.

As a first step in the project, leading American judicial educators
and jurists formed a panel and met at the first ever Hardcore Drunk
Driver Judicial Education Summit. The outcome of the Summit was the
publication of a practical, accessible judicial resource entitled, “The
Hardcore Drunk Driving Judicial Guide—A Resource Outlining Judicial
Challenges, Effective Strategies and Model Programs.” The guide draws
heavily on the practical experiences of leading judges in applying
innovative strategies to reduce recidivism. It also highlights current
research about hardcore drunk drivers.

The Century Council launched an aggressive judicial education outreach
campaign, during which panel members traveled to various state annual
judicial conferences to conduct workshops instructing judges on how to
apply the Judicial Guide’s practical recommendations.

The Judicial Education Project has instructed more than 2,000
American trial court judges regarding proven strategies for reducing
impaired driving recidivism. The project represents a comprehensive
effort to provide state judges with the skills to swiftly identify,
punish with certainty and effectively treat hardcore drunk drivers. It
also marks the first occasion in which all of America’s leading
judicial education stakeholders collaboratively directed their
collective resources toward addressing this compelling public safety
problem.

“On behalf of the distilled spirits companies that fund us, The
Century Council is honored to receive the Peter K. O’Rourke Special
Achievement Award from the Governors Highway Safety Association for our
Hardcore Drunk Driving Judicial Guide. We are proud to be recognized by
experts in the field of highway safety for this resource
which addresses the complexities in courts of reducing drunk driving,”
said Susan Molinari, Chairman of The Century Council.

Launched in 1991, The Century
Council is funded by America's leading distillers. The Council's
mission is to promote responsible decision-making regarding beverage
alcohol and discourage all forms of irresponsible consumption through
education, communications, research, law enforcement and other
programs. For more information on the Council, log onto
www.centurycouncil.org.