Champaign County's DUI court to dedicate more time to crime

URBANA – Champaign County's presiding judge is adding another layer to the criminal-court system. But Tom Difanis asserts his idea – to have a separate court dedicated to hearing driving-under-the-influence cases – will increase the efficiency of the judicial process.

With 35,000 traffic tickets issued annually in Champaign County, Difanis said, it's "easy for the DUIs to get swallowed up in the morass of traffic court."

"It's important we provide the appropriate attention to this serious problem. A lot of people still think it's a traffic ticket," Difanis said. "With this setup, we have one judge, one courtroom. It lessens the burden in traffic court."

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