How Connecticut Pretrial IDIP Can Help You

Some drivers who have been charged with a Connecticut DUI are eligible to participate in the Pretrial Impaired Driving Intervention Program (IDIP). If you successfully complete the program, the DUI charges will be dismissed and you will avoid a criminal record. However, there are restrictions on who is eligible to participate in an IDIP and how often you can use it. Connecticut DUI defense attorney Stephen Lebedevitch can assess your eligibility to participate in an IDIP and assist you in preparing a successful application.
Overview of the Pretrial Impaired Driving Intervention Program (IDIP)
The Pretrial Impaired Driving Intervention Program is a diversionary program that allows people charged with a DUI to avoid taking their case to trial and facing exposure to a possible DUI conviction. Once you enroll in the IDIP, your record is sealed, and further prosecution is suspended. Upon successful completion of the program, your case will be dismissed, and you will be deemed never to have been arrested.
Importantly, you are not admitting guilt when you apply for the IDIP. Instead, the diversion program provides an opportunity to resolve your case in a way that benefits you and the community and avoids a permanent mark on your criminal record.
Eligibility for the Impaired Driver Program
Even though participation in the IDIP seems straightforward, it is important to take the application process seriously. Participation in a Connecticut diversionary program is a privilege, not a right, and it is important that you get your application correct the first time.
Connecticut DUI defense attorney Stephen Lebedevitch has prepared countless IDIP applications. He understands the rules to qualify for participation in the diversionary program and knows what it takes to prepare a successful presentation.
Unlike other diversionary programs, which are available to people accused of a wider variety of crimes, the IDIP is only available to people who have been charged with a DUI and other DUI-related offenses.
To be eligible, you must not have been previously convicted of a DUI or a similar offense in Connecticut or any other estate.
In addition, you cannot have used the IDIP or other diversionary programs in the past ten years. You are not eligible to participate in the program if you hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or CDL permit. This restriction applies even if you hold a CDL and were charged with DUI while driving your personal vehicle.
Finally, if your DUI offense resulted in an accident that resulted in “serious physical injury” to another person, you must show the court “good cause” for why you should be allowed to participate in the program.
How to Apply for the IDIP
If you are eligible, Attorney Lebedevitch will help you complete the IDIP application. After your application has been submitted, your case will be scheduled for a hearing. You will be placed under oath, and the judge will ask you questions about the information contained in the application, including whether you have any prior arrests for a DUI offense. You will also be asked to waive your speedy trial rights and the statute of limitations. You are required to waive these rights if you want to participate in the program because of the time it takes to complete the IDIP and so the state will not be prejudiced if you do not successfully complete it.
In most cases, the IDIP application is completed on a single court date. Attorney Lebedevitch will explain to the court why you should be allowed to participate in the program, and the judge will decide whether to grant your application. However, if the DUI offense caused an accident that resulted in property damage or serious bodily injuries to another person, the victims are entitled to receive notice of your application, and the court will schedule a second hearing to determine whether you can participate in the program.
Once the judge has approved your application to participate in the IDIP, you must pay your application fee and schedule an evaluation with a contractor of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) to determine the level of treatment you require. The DMHAS evaluator will recommend one of the following levels of treatment:
- The first level of care costs $400 and requires attendance at twelve (12) alcohol education classes.
- The second, more intense level of care is substance abuse treatment, which costs one hundred dollars ($100) paid to the court, and the remainder of the fee paid to the program out of pocket or through your insurance carrier.
If the court grants your application, your case will be continued for one year, during which time you will complete the program and must not be charged with any other alcohol-related offenses.
Completing the IDIP
Upon successful completion of the impaired driver intervention program, your case will be dismissed, the records of your case will be destroyed, and you will be deemed to have never been arrested. You should request a certified certificate of disposition from the clerk’s office to prove that your case was dismissed.
Why You Should Hire The Lebedevitch Law Firm to Help with Your Impaired Driver Program Application
No matter the circumstances of your DUI arrest, you should contact an experienced DUI defense attorney as soon as possible. The Lebedevitch Law Firm has extensive experience defending people accused of DUI and other alcohol-related offenses. Attorney Lebedevitch will analyze your situation to determine whether you are eligible to participate in the impaired driver intervention program. If you qualify, he will assist you in preparing the application and represent you at court hearings related to the program. And if you are not eligible to participate in the IDIP, Attorney Lebedevitch will vigorously defend your rights at pretrial hearings and, if necessary, at trial.
Attorney Lebedevitch has extensive experience defending people accused of DUI and other crimes in and around Fairfield and throughout Connecticut. He is highly regarded by judges and other criminal defense lawyers for the successful results that he regularly obtains.
The Lebedevitch Law Firm is based in Fairfield, Connecticut, and proudly represents people in Stamford, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Darien, Rowayton, Fairfield, Trumbull, Westport, Wilton, Weston, Danbury, New Haven, Bethany, Woodbridge, Milford, Stratford, Bridgeport, and throughout the state.
To learn more about attorney Stephen Lebedevitch, read reviews from other people he has helped and learn why people choose Stephen. Then contact The Lebedevitch Law Firm today to schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your situation and how we can help.