Public intoxication gets a humane response at Dallas’ Sobering Center

It’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend, time for green beer, revelry and, unfortunately for some, arrest for public intoxication.

But in Dallas, some of those arrestees will be diverted away from the steely holding cells of the City Detention Center and to its more compassionate Sobering Center dorm.

Established three years ago, the center gives some noncombative intoxicated people a safe place to sober up and be counseled by understanding caseworkers about any underlying problems such as homelessness, alcoholism or mental illness. By agreeing to go there, they avoid being charged and saddled with lifelong criminal records.

Now the city is considering whether to divert other low level “quality of life” crimes there, too, Dallas City Marshal David Pughes told us. Those could include sleeping in public, prostitution and other Class C misdemeanors, he said.

That’s a good idea. The Sobering Center frees up municipal courts and patrol officers, while thwarting further crime by linking people with the help they need. We caution the city, however, not to overburden the center with more cases than it has the resources to handle.

Pughes said his office has begun working with Dallas police, the city attorney’s office and municipal court judges to identify other crimes that could be diverted. He expects to submit a proposal to the Dallas City Council’s public safety committee next year and give a general update of center activities to the committee next month.

Years ago, public intoxication suspects were often taken to the city jail, charged, brought before a magistrate and released with a court date. But too many didn’t show up. So the city in 2021 set up the Sobering Center as a more practical and compassionate way to deal with some of those cases.

To be eligible for diversion, a person must be 17 or older, nonviolent, and experiencing no serious medical problems. That person also must not be suspected of any crime other than public intoxication, or been a “client” at the center more than twice before in the same calendar year. Clients run the gamut, from homeless people to Uptown partiers to, yes, St. Patrick’s Day paradegoers. The center is particularly busy during Texas-OU weekend.

Once sober, usually after 4 hours or so, clients are interviewed individually with a caseworker, asked about their lifestyle and sometimes offered a referral to an outside agency. Of 7,712 clients so far, 1,292 have agreed to services. Some are given clean clothing if they need it.

Interview rooms have fresh paint, murals and calming “inspirational decor,” a city document reads. Program manager Kristen Kubat told us the whole point is “to give a little grace to humanity here.” That’s a worthwhile endeavor, and one we’d like to see carefully considered extending to other low-level crimes.

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