ACES: A Program Worth Celebrating
The Association of Court Enhanced Supervision (ACES) provides streamlined methods for monitoring high-risk, repeat DUI offenders who do not require high-treatment needs. This is the largest group of offenders and poses one of the greatest risks to roadway safety and alcohol-related death and injury.
Participants in the program voluntarily submit to at least one year of daily random breath monitoring via an internet-linked sampling device. If the individual fails any remote test they will be expected to appear in court to discuss the issue or face other sentencing options or sanctions.
The program is a proven success. Eighty percent of the offenders taking part in the ACES model have successfully completed the program and the vast majority of them have made positive and permanent changes in lifestyle, family relationships, professional growth, and community choices.
The involvement of thousands of individuals is a testament to our success.
The IRS recognizes ACES as a 501[c][3] tax-exempt organization that provides education and professionally-tailored training across the United States.
Cost Effective
On average, ACES costs $10,000 less per participant than a traditional treatment model.
While traditional treatment programs certainly have their place, ACES offers an offender-funded model to cost-effectively reduce recidivism and keep participants with their families and earning a living.
Taxpayer dollars go further for increased roadway safety.
Increased Safety
Over 5,200 justice-involved individuals have been through the ACES model in the last 13 years. These individuals have significantly lower (3x) recidivism rates than the treatment model.
ACES participants have also shown a 19% decrease in DUI crashes!
Consistent Success
Thousands of DUI recidivists have participated in the ACES program model since 2008, with 80% of these individuals completing the program successfully.
Let the widely respected members of the ACES Board of Directors help you educate courts and highway safety professionals across the nation.
A Sample of the Technology:
Many state-of-the-art monitoring devices have been developed and successfully deployed to check for detectible breath alcohol. Some of these devices actually pair with a smartphone via Bluetooth. By doing so, the monitoring task of the jurisdiction is simplified.
For example, BREATHCHECK™ from Smart Start (pictured above) is an alcohol breath analyzing device combined with the new Client Portal mobile app that tests the user’s breath alcohol concentration level and provides their GPS location, user video verification, and real-time test results. This unique combination allows efficient monitoring of offenders, at any location, with positive user identification.
Under the ACES program, random test requests will be sent to the offender via text. Once submitted, the sample will automatically sent to the court or agency database. Depending on the program adaptation, ignition interlock devices may also be a requirement. If the test result indicates no detectible alcohol, no further action is required. However, if the sample does detect alcohol, the offender will be required to see a court or program official based upon curriculum requirements established by that jurisdiction.
Minimal to no agent interaction is necessary for set-up or service. And the benefits include video-recorded breath tests with voice, facial, and GPS location reporting.
The technology and the software monitoring the testing devices is proven. And the ACES program is successful because of these advances.
Introducing the ACES Board of Directors
Mack Jenkins
Board of Directors Chairperson
Chief Mack Jenkins’ career in the justice system spanned more than 40 years. He retired as the chief probation officer for San Diego County. Over the course of his career, Mr. Jenkins developed expertise in the use of evidenced-based practices for community supervision and worked with drug courts and collaborative justice programs for more than 20 years. He has served on a number of national boards, including NADCP and the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center. He is a former chair of the Orange County Drug Court Oversight Committee and also served on the California Judicial Council’s Collaborative Justice Courts Advisory Committee. Mr. Jenkins is a past president of the Chief Probation Officers of California and former vice president of the American Probation and Parole Association. He is a former member of NCDC’s DWI Court Task Force and was appointed to the California Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health and the California Prison Industry Authority. He served in the past as a senior policy advisor for the CSG Justice Center and is currently an adjunct instructor in criminal justice. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of California, Irvine, and a master's degree in criminal justice from California State University, Long Beach.
(Click here to email Mack Jenkins)
Troy Costales
Vice-Chair and Treasurer of the Board
Mr. Costales was the state of Oregon’s Transportation Safety Division Administrator and Governor's Highway Safety Representative from September of 1997 until May 2021. During his time as the Governor’s Representative he worked for three different Governors. Troy has over 37 years of experience in Transportation Safety, including 24 years as the Administrator of the Division. Troy was the primary resource for the Oregon Legislature on laws related to driver education, distracted driving, racial profiling data and training for law enforcement, pedestrian safety, ignition interlock oversight, mandatory motorcycle safety training, and child passenger safety laws.
For more than 20 years, multiple legislative committee leaders tagged Troy as “Mr. Safety” and sought his counsel in informal and formal setting alike.
Mr. Costales was the 2011-2012 Chair of the Governor’s Highway Safety Association. He also served on the International Association of Chiefs of Police - Drug Evaluation and Classification Program Technical Advisory Panel and was a member and team lead for several driver education, bicycle/pedestrian, motorcycle safety, occupant protection and impaired driving program assessments over the past twenty years.
(Click here to email Troy Costales)
Jacquie Sheehey
Board Secretary
Jacquie Sheehey serves as the Vice President of Business Development for TRAC Solutions, a technology company that manufactures stigma-free, wrist worn devices for transdermal alcohol monitoring and GPS.
She brings 25 years of experience to the drug testing, alcohol monitoring and electronic monitoring industry working primarily with probation departments and treatment courts. Her areas of expertise are in management, sales, marketing and training.
Prior to TRAC Solutions, Jacquie was the Director of Marketing & Partner Relations for Averhealth, a laboratory-based drug testing company. Jacquie has worked in management level positions for SmartStart, an ignition interlock and portable alcohol monitoring company as well as for Varian, a drug testing company during her career. She was the founder of Price Daniel Communications, a marketing communications firm where she managed contracts for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) and other federal agencies.
Jacquie currently serves on the board of ACES and she previously served on the Board of the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA) for two terms. She holds a BS degree from The Ohio State University. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and her two labs, Ryder and Remi. In addition, she loves yoga and cycling as well as travel adventures.
(Click here to email Jacquie Sheehey)
James Fell
Board Member &
Chair, Curriculum Committee
James Fell is a Principal Research Scientist with NORC at the University of Chicago in the Bethesda, Maryland office. His areas of research include traffic safety behavioral programs, alcohol and drug impaired driving countermeasures, underage drinking and cannabis use, and alcohol and other drug policies. Mr. Fell worked at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 1969 to 1999 and has over 50 years of traffic safety and alcohol policy research experience including over 170 publications. He has a Master of Science degree in Human Factors Engineering from the University of Buffalo. Mr. Fell is currently President of the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs, and Traffic Safety (ICADTS), past president of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM), and an Association for Courtroom Enhanced Supervision (ACES) Board Member.
(Click here to email James Fell)
Terry Pence
Board Member
Terry provided leadership for almost 40 years in the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Behavioral Traffic Safety Program. The program developed, implemented, and evaluated state and local traffic safety programs with the goal to reduce crashes, fatalities, and injuries on Texas roadways. After retiring from the Section Director position at TxDOT, Terry is currently serving as a consultant with the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) on special projects to assist GHSA and State Highway Safety Offices across the country. Terry is also participating on motorcycle safety assessment teams with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Terry joined the ACES Board of Directors in 2023 and is honored to be part of ACES’ efforts to reduce impaired driving across the nation.
(Click here to email Terry Pence)
Lawrence Robertson
Board Member
(Click here to email L G Robertson)
Lee Axdahl
Executive Director
Mr. Axdahl is an experienced and trusted leader in the highway safety industry. He is a former Director of Highway Safety in South Dakota and during his tenure significantly reduced roadway fatalities by implementing creative and innovative programs never before seen by the state and nation. He served on the national Governor's Highway Safety Association for many years as a Board member and Treasurer. Axdahl is experienced at the state and federal level educating and lobbying legislators on the benefits of many highway safety programs.
He is the Principal of Traffic Safety Partners and Axdahl leads a number of different clients in efforts to increase safety on the nation's roadways and ultimately drive down the number of traffic fatalities and injuries. He has extensive skills utilizing data and other information to implement programs and measures that can impact driver safety.
(Click here to email Lee Axdahl)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an ACES Curriculum?
Yes. There is a curriculum that has been carefully crafted to build on the years of evidence-based practices from the original concept that was implemented in California. If you want more information for this curriculum, simply click here.
Can the ACES Curriculum be modified for our jurisdiction?
Of course! One of the strengths of the program is its flexibility on different levels, from technology to jurisdictional adaptations. There are a number of core principles which should always be maintained, but each jurisdiction tends to have different challenges. We would be happy to discuss this with you. Simply click here to discuss this topic.
What are the beginning steps for the ACES program?
Every new journey starts with the first step. And by clicking here we can assist you with that process with no obligation to move forward.
What are the start-up costs for the ACES program?
Costs vary depending on whether it is primarily an offender-paid program or part of a different court practice. The operational expenses, however, are a fraction of operating a traditional DUI/Drug court model. And the long-term outcome with the ACES model is a lower level of recidivism. It would be anticipated that one of our team members would serve as a consultant to establish the program in your jurisdiction and then turn the 'keys' over to your staff.
Thanks to our
Stakeholders & Supporters
The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) leads the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and promotes responsible decision-making regarding beverage alcohol. Responsibility.org provided early funding for the development of ACES.