The Width and Breath of Alcohol Evals

Well it is back to school time in Ithaca, NY. Our current population is about to double, and the turmoil on the roads is beginning to constrict my blood vessels. I moved here from the big city to get away from the madness of the crowds and traffic but all is really relative.

After three years of practicing DWI defense in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, I've gotten used to small town life, and whenever I venture out to the bigger cities I can feel the difference. Rolling hills, and green pastures soothe my soul, while large expanses of asphalt and concrete tend to now quicken my pulse.

Speaking of contrasts and relativity, drug evaluators and their evaluations fall within the same category. Every week I direct and guide my DWI clients to have alcohol/drug evaluations, and every week I am surprised by the reports I receive back. They run from one and two page check off lists to twenty page life histories. Now mind you they are (the evaluators) all OASAS (NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services) certified as mandated by November 2006 legislative changes in the DWI statutes but their methodologies and philosophies on addiction practice are very subjective.

Many of my clients have to have alcohol evaluations either to enroll and complete the DMV DDP (Dept. of Motor Vehicle's Drinking Driver Program) or for the Court (BAC of .15 or higher) or for case leverage to prove they do not have a problem necessitating harsher punishment or long term supervision. I want my clients to receive a FAIR evaluation, that is complete and thorough.

If someone has a problem it needs to be addressed. Recognition and/or awareness is a nice start. Recently, I have come across two evaluators, one in NYC, and one in Elmira, NY who are in my opinion stand outs:

Johanna Bos, LMSW, CASAS in NYC

Mary Bellizia in Elmira, NY

Sometimes the length of the report only tells part of the story. Writing a one page report that gets to the heart of the client's situation in careful thought out words can be very effective tool to persuade a Judge and/or District Attorney to consider treatment over incarceration for repeat offenders.

I salute these professionals who care about doing a good job, and who help make my job as advocate for my DWI clients best interests a more certain reality. I have some criteria that I use when selecting an evaluator, and preparing my clients for evaluations. Please look over my blog entries on drug/alcohol evaluations as well as my blog resource list to get an idea of what will be asked of you and/or from you.

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