Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s (MADD) Victim Impact Panel® program brings together the criminal justice system and those directly or indirectly affected by drunk and drugged driving crashes and underage drinking. Speakers may be bereaved or injured victims, and may also include victim families, first responders or substance abuse/treatment representatives.
The Victim Impact Panel program follows a restorative justice model by allowing crime victims a healing opportunity by talking about the crime’s impact upon themselves, their families, friends, and the community as a whole.
During the panel, speakers describe the crash in which they, or their loved ones, were involved, and how life has changed since the crash. They do not blame or judge the audience; they simply share their personal experiences.
Victim Impact Panels are designed to provide offenders with the understanding that drunk driving is a choice that impacts the lives of innocent people—and how the resulting consequences and
tragic outcomes are 100% preventable.
Victim Impact Panels are not intended to replace conventional sanctions. Rather, they are offered to enhance and supplement such programs by placing offenders face to face with real people whose lives have been permanently changed by a substance-impaired driver.
