Welcome to IMPACT Weekend
Call 1-888-861-8300 to register by phone OR complete the online registration form.
IF BY MAIL: Send Referral/Registration Form to our office indicating location and date of class.
- Celebrating Over 24 Years
- Over 50,000 Impact Weekend Graduates
- 22 Hours of Classroom Instruction
- Highly Trained Program Facilitators with CAC Level and/or Recovery Background
Various Locations Throughout Michigan.
LIMITED 2024 Dates Now Available
Reserve Early.
Dates and Locations are Here
COURTS USE IMPACT WEEKEND:
- TO EDUCATE ANY SUBSTANCE ABUSING OFFENDER
- As An Alternative To Jail
- As A Pro-Active Sanction
- For A Short Residential Experience
- To Jumpstart A SUCCESSFUL Completion Of Drug Court
- ATTORNEYS USE IMPACT WEEKEND for Pre-Sentencing
- COUNSELORS use Impact Weekend for treatment readiness
- OUT OF STATE DRIVING SANCTIONS
INTRODUCTION
IMPACT WEEKEND began in 1995 as a program for first and second time drunk driving and other substance abuse offenders in Oakland County, Michigan. In collaboration with the Oakland County Community Corrections Division and two District Court Judges, IMPACT WEEKEND staff formulated an effective intervention that provides an environment for self-evaluation which is conducive to acceptance of responsibility for one’s own behavior, and is an effective “jump start” into counseling or treatment.
Participants pay the program costs which, not only saves public resources, but also helps motivate the program participants. The weekend includes classes and group discussions led by IMPACT WEEKEND staff on alcohol and chemical dependency, decision making, family impact issues and personal responsibility, concluding with a victim impact presentation.
Additionally, during the course of the weekend offenders perform 2 hours of community service. Upon completion of the program, IMPACT WEEKEND staff reports on the participant’s experience to the court, probation department, defense counsel and the participant. The participant , as well, reports on his or her experience and insights.
*An independent study was commissioned by Oakland County Community Corrections Division to review three years of Impact Weekend operations. The study showed that compared to an average recidivism rate of 33% for first time offenders, only 4% Impact Weekend participants were rearrested, of which only 3% were arrested for DUI. Further, nearly half of those completing the program have gone on to counseling or 12-step programs.
The experience of the IMPACT WEEKEND program indicates that its approach obtains the desired results. During the course of three days, first and second time drunk/drugged driving and other substance abuse offenders can be made to recognize that their behavior is destructive to themselves and those around them and that as a consequence, they will change their behavior.