A judge in Fargo recently presented his subject with a choice. The man was charged with a DUI, and could lessen his sentence by attending the funeral of a family that had been killed in a DUI accident. Recently, another intoxicated driver drove into a family of three and cost them their lives. The judge said this convict with the initials A.B. could serve an extra five days in jail for his crime, or he could shorten his sentence by attending the family’s funeral. The man from West Fargo chose the latter option, and attended the memorial service for the family. He may have thought that he was getting off with an easier sentence, but he later recounted that the funeral was emotional and traumatic for him. In a letter that he penned to the judge, the offender with the initials A.B. said that it made him sick to his stomach to think that lives were taken because of his choice.

Steve Dawson, the West Fargo judge who has been offering funeral attendance in replacement of a shorter sentence for DUI offenders, has seen the effects of this exercise and thinks it is more valuable than extra jail time. He believes that when DUI offenders see the pain and suffering their actions have a potential to cause, it scares them into sorrow, remorse, and apology. Some of the offenders that he has sent to funerals weren’t even associated with the DUI deaths. They are still often impacted by witnessing the loss that a family suffered because of a person’s inability to drive safely.

A.B. attended the funeral of the Deutschers. This small family of three included a young married couple and their 18-month-old daughter, Brielle. The three were the innocent victims of a DUI crash. When criminals are sent to DUI funerals, the judge requires that they send back a proof of attendance. A.B. was so moved that he wrote a letter thanking the judge for the sentence. When there is no funeral to attend, Dawson also sends the criminals who pass through his court to DUI victim panels where the men and women talk about the effects a drunk driving accident has had on their life. Some motorists who have been hit by drunk drivers are now comatose, or have been paralyzed by the incident.

When sentencing funeral attendance, Judge Dawson says he must be incredibly careful that the family will not oppose the guests. Sometimes a family mourning the loss of a loved one wants to keep their memorial service private. The judge said that he only chooses to send the offenders to public funerals where many community members who may have not known the family choose to attend. In A.B.’s case, the funeral gathering was large enough that the criminals could appear without being pinpointed as unwelcome strangers. Other DUI suspects have been sentenced to attend the funerals of drunk drivers who died while carrying out their crime of driving while intoxicated.

The judge considered sending convicted individuals to the recent funeral of a Fargo resident who had a .25 BAC, but decided against it because of the distance of the funeral. The judge said that he wants DUI offenders to know that the drunk drivers who perish in these accidents also leave behind devastated families. A.B. told the judge after attending the funeral that he would have a hard time living with himself if he was ever responsible for a horrible death like that one. In addition, he said that the funeral showed him how his entire world could change in a matter of seconds, and the reason why the law takes DUIs so seriously. If you have been convicted of driving under the influence, then you need legal representation to get through your trial. Find a local DUI lawyer today to help you get the defense you need in your case.