Together We Can.

No More Victims. These words are our driving force here at MADD Nebraska. They are the heart of our mission and the focus of all our work. They are our vision and we know that they will happen. A future with No More Victims. It will happen, but it will not happen without the help of others. Only together will we accomplish a future with no more victims. Together, we can.

So how do we move forward together? We start working together. MADD Nebraska has many volunteer opportunities, all of which allow you to join us in our mission to create a future with No More Victims. In a six-part blog series, we are going to share with you all some of the volunteer roles available at MADD Nebraska, what they do, who can do them and how they make a difference.

To start we are going to focus on Court Monitoring Volunteers. MADD Nebraska’s Court Monitoring program is funded by the Nebraska Department of Roads-Office of Highway Safety.

MADD’s Court Monitoring Program was established to allow MADD to observe and report on the outcomes of DUI related cases in our criminal justice system. By doing so we are ultimately working to reduce impaired driving by highlighting effective systems and sharing areas of possible improvement. Volunteers in this program work in two different ways. First, through regular courtroom attendance. Trained court monitors observe drunk and drugged driving cases and collect data in the courtrooms of our priority counties across the state. Second, through online data collection and entry. Because we cannot physically be in every courtroom, for every DUI related case, we use data collection that allows us to analyze a larger sample size giving us the most accurate picture of how cases are being handled in each county. Together, these two aspects of court monitoring allow us to create a report that we can share with partners across the state to help find solutions that result in effective justice.

Court monitors go through training to help them learn the court process, what to look for and how to collect information. So while it may seem like you need legal knowledge to get involved, you don’t! The time commitment is also flexible. While we can only head into court when court is happening, the amount of time you spend there is up to your schedule. This role is perfect for people with flexibility in their daytime schedules like students or retirees.

If you would like to learn more about court monitoring or the process to get involved as a MADD volunteer, we encourage you to reach out to the MADD Nebraska State Office at (402) 434-5330 or by email at [email protected]. Feel like you want to get involved but maybe court monitoring isn’t your thing? Stick with us, this is the first in a series of blogs all about the different ways to volunteer at MADD!