(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Youthful Drunk Driver Visitation Program Act.”

(2) COURT-ORDERED PARTICIPATION IN PROGRAM; PREFERENCE FOR PARTICIPATION.—

(a) If a person is convicted of a violation of s. 316.193, the court may order, as a term and condition of probation in addition to any other term or condition required or authorized by law, that the probationer participate in the Youthful Drunk Driver Visitation Program.

(b) The court shall give preference for participation in the program to probationers who are less than 18 years of age at the time of the offense if the facilities which participate in the program within the jurisdiction cannot accommodate all probationers who are eligible and who consent to participate in the program.

(3) INVESTIGATION AND CONSULTATION BY COURT.—The court shall investigate and consult with the probationer, his or her counsel, if any, and any proposed supervisor of a visitation under the program. The court may consult with any other person whom the court finds may be of value, including, but not limited to, the probationer’s parents or other family members, in order to ascertain that the probationer is suitable for the program, that the visitation will be educational and meaningful to the probationer, and that there are no physical, emotional, or mental reasons to believe the program is not appropriate for the probationer or would cause any injury to the probationer.

(4) VISITATION REQUIREMENT.—

(a) To the extent that personnel and facilities are made available to the court, the court may include a requirement for supervised visitation by the probationer to all, or any, of the following:

1. A trauma center, as defined in s. 395.4001, or a hospital as defined in s. 395.002, which regularly receives victims of vehicle accidents, between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on a Friday or Saturday night, in order to observe appropriate victims of vehicle accidents involving drinking drivers, under the supervision of any of the following:

a. A registered nurse trained in providing emergency trauma care or prehospital advanced life support.

b. An emergency room physician.

c. An emergency medical technician.

2. A licensed service provider, as defined in s. 397.311, which cares for substance abuse impaired persons, to observe persons in the terminal stages of substance abuse impairment, under the supervision of appropriately licensed medical personnel. Prior to any visitation of such terminally ill or disabled persons, the persons or their legal representatives must give their express consent to participate in the visitation program.

3. If approved by the county coroner, the county coroner’s office or the county morgue to observe appropriate victims of vehicle accidents involving drinking drivers, under the supervision of the coroner or a deputy coroner.

(b) As used in this section, the term “appropriate victims” means victims or their legal representatives, including the next of kin, who have expressly given their consent to participate in the visitation program and victims whose condition is determined by the visitation supervisor to demonstrate the results of accidents involving drinking drivers without being excessively gruesome or traumatic to the probationer.

(c) If persons trained in counseling or substance abuse are made available to the court, the court may coordinate the visitation program or the visitations at any of the appropriate facilities through those persons.

(d) Any visitation shall include, before any observation of victims or disabled persons by the probationer, a comprehensive counseling session with the visitation supervisor at which the supervisor shall explain and discuss the experiences which may be encountered during the visitation in order to ascertain whether the visitation is appropriate for the probationer.

(e) If at any time, either before or during a visitation, the supervisor of the probationer determines that the visitation may be or is traumatic or otherwise inappropriate for the probationer, or the supervisor is uncertain whether the visitation may be traumatic or inappropriate, the visitation shall be terminated without prejudice to the probationer.

(5) POSTVISITATION CONFERENCE.—

(a) Following completion of any of the required visitations, the program may include a personal conference among the sentencing judge, his or her designated representative, or the person responsible for coordinating the program for the judicial district and the probationer, the probationer’s counsel, and, if available, the probationer’s parents in order to discuss the experiences of the visitation and how those experiences may affect the probationer’s future conduct.

(b) If a personal conference is not practicable because of the probationer’s absence from the jurisdiction, conflicting time schedules, or other reasons, the program shall require a written report or letter by the probationer to the court discussing the experiences and their effect on the probationer.

(6) IMMUNITY FROM CIVIL LIABILITY.—The county, a court, any facility visited pursuant to the program, an agent, employee, or independent contractor of the court, county, or facility visited pursuant to the program, or any person supervising a probationer during the visitation, is not liable for any civil damages resulting from injury to the probationer, or civil damages caused by the probationer, during or from any activities relating to, the visitation, except for willful or grossly negligent acts intended to, or reasonably expected to, result in injury or damage. A probationer is eligible for workers’ compensation as prescribed by law if he or she performs community service at a facility as an additional term or condition of probation.

History.—s. 1, ch. 90-265; s. 62, ch. 92-289; s. 21, ch. 93-39; s. 400, ch. 95-148; s. 8, ch. 2000-189.