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Judge James Dehn honored with Distinguished Public Leadership Award for efforts to curb drunk driving

Posted: Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Tenth Judicial District Judge James E. Dehn was presented the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies’ Distinguished Public Leadership Award last week for his extensive work to reduce drunk driving in Minnesota. The Distinguished Public Leadership Award was established in 1998 to recognize public leaders who, through their vision, leadership, and knowledge, have influenced innovative transportation policy directions that benefit society.
 
In nearly three decades on the bench, Judge Dehn has established and overseen numerous initiatives designed to reduce drunk driving and prevent recidivism among DWI offenders:
  • In 1993, Judge Dehn became the first judge in the nation to put multiple-repeat DWI offenders on the home pre-trial electronic alcohol-monitoring program. Under the program, reoffenders awaiting trial have an electronic monitor placed in their homes requiring frequent sobriety checks and video conferences with court officials.
  • In 1998, Judge Dehn pioneered the DUI “Staggered Sentencing” program, which allows repeat DUI offenders to spread out their actual jail sentences over several years. If offenders are able to prove that they are staying sober and law-abiding, they become eligible to have the next segment of their jail sentence suspended. The practice is now used in approximately 30 states. In 2002, the Research Department of the Minnesota House of Representatives found DWI offenders given staggered sentences experienced 49.9 percent less DWI recidivism than comparable DWI offenders. A similar study conducted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Association in 2011 found staggered sentences reduced DWI recidivism by 30 percent.
  • In 2006, he worked with community leaders and business owners to establish the Isanti County SafeCab program, which reduced DWIs in the county by more than 67% by 2013 – the largest decrease of any county in Minnesota. The SafeCab program has served as a model for other counties across the state.
  • For nearly 20 years, Judge Dehn has tracked the “last place of drink” for every drunken driver pleading before him – the longest-running tracking program in the country. The information collected through this effort has supported training of restaurant employees and served as the groundwork for the SafeCab program.
 
Due to his groundbreaking – and proven – work on combating drunk driving in Minnesota, Judge Dehn is frequently asked to testify before the Minnesota Legislature regarding the state’s drunk driving laws. He has also taught creative sentencing to Minnesota judges for nearly 20 years and has been an adjunct instructor at the National Judicial College in Reno since 2002.
 
“As a judge, I am often witness to the devastation drunk driving can cause,” said Judge Dehn. “I’ve spent a large part of my career working to reduce drunk driving in our community, and prevent even more families from seeing a loved one killed or seriously hurt by a drunk driver. I am honored to receive this award, and share it with the many individuals and organizations in our community that are working on smart, innovative approaches to keep drunk drivers off the road.”
 
Judge Dehn was appointed to the bench in 1987, and he was elected in 1988, 1994, 2000, 2006, and 2012. His chambers are located in the Isanti County Courthouse.