The advantages of personal relationships between practitioners and offenders take on increases meaning when working with alcohol offenders, especially in low-population areas where residents tend to know each other by sight. Even the best treatment programs take time to work, and drug courts recognize that an early relapse is only a slip - it does not signify program failure. Nevertheless, continued use of alcohol or other drugs cannot be condoned, and drug courts utilize a system of sanctions and incentives to foster program compliance. The law and public opinion narrow the list of sanctions and incentives that can be used in DUI cases and give a judge less flexibility in imposing them. Quicker imposition and the use of more severe sanctions are often mandated by law or demanded by the community.
Incentives are also limited.
Case dismissal may not be an option, and close supervision and testing are essential for public safety. One effective incentive that can sometimes be utilized is the lessening of driver's license restrictions. Judicial interaction with offenders is equally important to the success of both drug and DUI programs. In either program, the judge is the focus in both the courtroom and the community, and a direct relationship between judge and offender is central to program success. In some courts, the judge may have less discretion in levying sanctions and incentives on DUI offenders than he or she would have when working with drug cases.