Belen Victim Impact Panel money goes to scholarships

Belen

Convicted DWI offenders living in the southern end of Valencia County will now be ordered to attend a new program in Belen designed to help them understand the consequences of their actions.

Magistrate Danny Hawkes and Community Service Monitor Buddy York recently hosted the first DWI Victim Impact Panel in Belen. Hawkes, along with other judges around the state, usually orders convicted DWI offenders to victim impact panels.

Prior to the new panel in Belen, Hawkes has had to send defendants to one of two panels in Los Lunas. The new panel will be held once a month, with participants charged a $40 fee.

All profits derived from the fees paid into the program will go, through the local Vietnam Combat Veterans Association, to a scholarship fund set up for local high school students.

“We hope to give something back to the community for the individuals who have committed the crime of DWI,” Hawkes said. “They are definitely going to give back something to the kids and improve the quality of life for the kids.”

Hawkes said the students who receive the scholarship will also be aware of where the money came from, and that, he hopes, will make a difference in their life decisions.

“This way, it’s in their mind that this is coming from people who committed DWIs,” he said.

York, who is also a member of the Vietnam Combat Veteran’s Association, said the local group has been giving scholarships to students in Los Lunas since 1997.

“This is the first time that we’re combining with magistrate court,” he said. “We’re just glad we can progress our efforts into Belen and help students here.”

In total, the local veterans non-profit organization has given $6,500 worth of scholarships. York said, as the new panel progresses, he hopes enough money will be raised to give another scholarship to a Los Lunas student.

Hawkes and York said the board, which is yet to be named, will set the criteria for students eligible to receive the scholarship. Hawkes said he wants to help the average student who has faced hardship in their lives.

“We wanted to look at the middle range person who is having a hardship and who needs that opportunity to go to college,” Hawkes said.

Another added bonus for offenders going to a victim impact panel in Belen is convenience, Hawkes said.

“If you’re convicted for DWI, you don’t have a license,” he said. “It’s very hard for an individual to get to a victim impact panel in the Los Lunas area if they don’t have a license.

“We’re setting them up for failure if we expect them to go to the panel in Los Lunas,” he said. “We thought: why not have it in the Belen area where it would be more convenient for them, plus in turn, give to others in the community.”

Belen Municipal Judge Kathy Savilla will also send defendants convicted of DWI to the new victim impact panel in Belen.