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Judge Malone: DUIs, public-intoxication calls and thefts are up; diversion program credited with reducing reoffending
Summary
Judge Malone told the Casper City Council that year-to-date DUI reports (107) and public-intoxication incidents (155) are above last year's figures, theft cases are rising sharply, and described the municipal diversion program that courts use to encourage treatment and reduce fines.
Judge Malone told the Casper City Council during a work session that several categories of alcohol-related and property crimes are well above last year's year-to-date totals. "So far year to date, we have had a total of 107 DUIs," she said, up from 81 at the same point last year; last year's total was 191.
She said public-intoxication incidents are 155 year to date, compared with 126 at the same time last year, and that minor-possession and consumption incidents rose to 24 from 11. "We're quite a bit higher than we were last year," she said, summarizing the broad trend.
The judge also highlighted a sharper rise in theft-related cases — petty larceny, shoplifting, theft of services and related charges — reporting 192 cases this year versus 125 at the same time last year. She warned the council that a state statutory change taking effect July 1 will lower the felony threshold for repeat-theft prosecutions from five lifetime offenses to three, which could increase the number of felony filings if prosecutors pursue them.
On prosecution, Judge Malone emphasized that outcomes depend on the county district attorney's willingness to file felony charges. "It's kind of contingent on the DA's office agreeing to take them," she said; when the DA declines, cases are handled in municipal court.
Councilmember Joe Chan and others asked whether the rise in alcohol-related crime might be connected to stricter enforcement of THC-related offenses or to changes in substance-use patterns. Chan said he was "curious if any of those trends kind of match up or overlap." Malone and others said the court sees multi-substance cases (DUI with controlled-substance possession) but that the record do not show a definitive causal link.
The judges described the city's diversion program as a core tool to reduce recidivism and ease collateral consequences. The program accepts people with substance-abuse or mental-health issues either as pretrial diversion (cases diverted before filing) or as post-charge programs. Participants can earn monthly credit toward fines while completing treatment (typically about $50 per month) and, for inpatient programs, judges said they can grant up to $30 per day credit for each day of participation. The judge said the court sees people benefit over multiple treatment cycles and that diversion "is actually helping some people."
City staff and council indicated they will seek additional context from the police chief and from Central Counseling Center about diversion outcomes, and councilmembers requested statistics that quantify the program's impact. No formal motions or votes occurred during the update.
What's next: Councilmembers asked staff to provide further data, including the police chief's perspective and diversion-program metrics for future meetings.
