The success of drug courts raises a logical question: If this works for one kind of substance, why not another? Hence, the advent of DUI courts, where multiple offenders are given intensive treatment and supervision in the hopes that they change their dangerous drinking-and-driving habits.

Spokane County has decided to join other municipalities around the country in giving such courts a try. The county already has a drug court, which has produced a lower recidivism rate when compared with offenders in the traditional criminal justice system. A lower reoffender rate means lower prison and jails costs. In the case of drunken driving, it could save lives, too.

Kootenai County has a DUI court, and the results thus far are encouraging. A 2003 evaluation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that the completion rate for the court’s one-year treatment program was 70 percent. Compare that with the completion rate for non-court referrals, which are typically in the 40 percent to 60 percent range.

The reoffender rate is 14 percent, which is better than the rate for those sent to jail.

However, Kootenai County does have a larger incentive for people to shape up: a felony DUI charge, which can result in lengthy jail time. DUIs are misdemeanors in Washington state, no matter how many are accumulated. The most time anyone can serve is one year per offense.

The debate over whether Washington should adopt a felony DUI law shouldn’t derail DUI courts, which promise success with or without the stricter law. And such a law comes with considerable costs. An analysis of a DUI felony law proposed last year showed that it could cost taxpayers about $225 million for the first two years. While Idaho has a tougher DUI law, it also has more prisoners than prison space and has to ship some to other states.

Spokane County’s DUI court won’t be a place where multiple offenders can avoid accountability. Indeed, they will be bombarded with constant reminders that they need to change.

They will be in treatment three to four days a week. They must see a probation officer once a week. A judge evaluates their progress every two weeks. They must attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice a week. Plus, a probation officer makes home visits. With new technology, alcohol is easier to detect in a drinker. The courts can also use polygraph tests.

If offenders flunk, they’re sent to jail.

States have been cracking down on drunken drivers with stiffer punishment for years, and it has worked. But the success rate has more or less leveled off, so new strategies are needed.

The idea is to protect the public from dangerous drivers by getting at the root of the problem, which is drinking. The public should give DUI courts a chance to succeed.