SATOP

Proof of completion of SATOP is required for reinstatement. Currently Missouri has over 200 SATOP locations. To obtain the completion certificate the driver must make an appointment with a SATOP office for an initial assessment screening. All drivers must pay a $126.00 assessment screening fee along with a $145.00 supplemental fee for a total of $271.00 at the time of the screening.[1] The Service Level Fees are as follows:

Offender Education Program (OEP) $100.00

Weekend Intervention Program (WIP) $440.52

Clinical Intervention Program (CIP) $1005.91

Drivers may complete a financial questionnaire. The findings will determine if the driver will receive financial assistance with the payment of their program fees. The financial assistance is funded through the supplemental fees charged during the initial assessment. The above fees are a base rate and do vary upon actual services rendered.

The assessment will determine what level of placement the driver will be enrolled. There are three main levels of service in the SATOP program. The first level is the Offender Education Program (OEP) which is a 10 hour education course for lower risk drivers to help them understand the choices they made that led to their intoxication and arrest. The second level is the Weekend Intervention Program (WIP) which is a 20 hour program that usually occurs at a hotel over a weekend and includes intensive education and intervention activities. The third level is the Clinical Intervention Program (CIP) which is a 50 hour outpatient counseling program consisting of individual counseling, group counseling and group education.

In cases where the driver is a resident of another state and wants to take a comparable course in their home state they would need to fill out a SATOP Comparable Completion Form.[2] The out of state agency must be state certified and/or accredited. The out of state program must be at least 10 hours. If the out of state program is less than 10 hours the Department of Revenue may reject the program.

Counsel should advise their clients that it is important that they have no alcohol in their system when entering the SATOP program. In many instances the SATOP instructor will have a portable breath test on site and can test suspected individuals for BAC. If they are found to have alcohol in their system they will be asked to leave the program. This may necessitate being reevaluated and placed in a higher level. In addition, if a client has been through the SATOP program once, they cannot be placed in the same level as before. Clients that have already been through the third level CIP program will most likely be placed in as Level IV program which requires more than 50 hours of treatment and must through a state certified provider. The provider has discretion to determine how many hours of treatment the driver will receive.

It should also be noted that drivers with a BAC of .18 will be placed in at least the WIP level and drivers with a BAC of .22 will be placed in the CIP level. The driver can be rescreened a second time to see if they may be eligible for a lower level. Counsel can also file a petition for review and ask the court to order the SATOP office to place the driver in a lower level.