Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joseph L. Waitz, Jr. formed the first Louisiana DWI court, the Advocate reported on April 26.

At least 58 DWI courts across the U.S. already provide a combination of substance use treatment and intensive judicial supervision to increase public safety.

The success of the Terrebonne Parish Drug Treatment Court and Attorney's Probation Program inspired this new approach to reduce recidivism among first and second-offense DWI cases.

The Terrebonne Parish pilot program will provide non-violent, substance-dependent DWI offenders with one year of substance use education, group therapy, case management and weekly judicial intervention.

For the last 10 years, 38 to 51 percent of traffic crashes in Terrebonne Parish were alcohol-related.