Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, wants more courts across Wisconsin to specialize in treating repeat drunken drivers for alcohol abuse.

 

Good idea.

 

A DUI treatment court in Madison — run jointly by the state and Dane County — has shown promise.

In exchange for less jail time, participants agree to mandatory alcohol treatment, tight monitoring and strict testing to ensure no alcohol is used. Breathalyzers are attached to participants’ home phone lines and the ignition systems of their cars. Some offenders wear absorbent patches that detect alcohol use in perspiration.