Victim Impact Panel in Arkansas: Certificate and Reinstatement

If your Arkansas driver’s license was suspended or revoked for an impaired-driving offense, state law requires you to attend a Victim Impact Panel in Arkansas before your driving privileges will be reinstated.¹ The panel is a one- to two-hour session where victims and family members of impaired-driving incidents describe what happened to them. You listen, you receive a certificate, and then you deliver that certificate to the right office yourself.

Who Has to Attend

The requirement applies to anyone whose license is suspended or revoked under one of five Arkansas statutes. The main one is a DWI conviction under Arkansas Code 5-65-103, covering operation of a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher or while intoxicated by alcohol or a controlled substance.²

The requirement also attaches to license suspensions for refusing a chemical test, both under the adult refusal statute and the parallel underage statute.³⁴ Minors whose licenses are suspended for purchasing or possessing alcohol are covered too.⁵ Whichever statute triggered your suspension, the panel process itself is the same.

Finding an Approved Provider

Only panels run by a Drug and Alcohol Safety Education Program (DASEP) provider under contract with the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services of the Department of Human Services count for reinstatement.¹ Online MADD certificates and out-of-state panel certificates are not accepted.⁶ This is the biggest wrong turn people make: a nationally marketed online panel looks legitimate, but Arkansas will reject it and you’ll have to sit through the process again with an approved provider.

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration publishes a list of approved DASEP providers on its Driver Services website, organized by geographic area, with eight regional providers covering the state. Each listing has a name, address, phone number, and contact person.⁶ Call the provider directly to ask about upcoming dates and to register in advance. The provider can charge a fee of $40 per person.¹ Bring a government-issued photo ID.

What Happens at the Panel

A session usually runs one to two hours. Victims, survivors, and family members of people harmed by impaired drivers speak about their experiences. There is no test, no quiz, and no group discussion. You are there to listen.

Arrive 15 to 30 minutes early. Late arrivals are generally turned away with no refund, which means paying the $40 again and coming back another day. Phones and other electronics stay off and put away for the whole presentation.

Anyone who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs is removed on arrival. You get no credit for that session, law enforcement may be called, and the court or your probation officer may be notified. Disruptive behavior brings the same result: removal, no certificate, no refund, and you start over.

Getting and Submitting the Certificate

When you finish the full session, the provider hands you a Certificate of Completion. State law requires the provider to give this documentation directly to the attendee.¹

Delivery is your responsibility. The provider does not send the certificate to the court, your probation officer, or the DFA. If a judge ordered the panel as part of your sentence, file the certificate with the court clerk before any deadline the court set. If it’s a probation condition, get it to your probation officer. For license reinstatement, submit it to DFA Driver Control.⁷ Make copies before you hand over the original. If it gets lost, a copy saves you from repeating the panel.

The single most common mistake in this whole process is completing the panel and then never delivering the certificate. People assume the provider reports attendance to the state. It does not. Until the certificate reaches the office that required it, the system shows you as noncompliant.

Other Reinstatement Requirements

The panel is one requirement. Your license stays suspended until every requirement is satisfied.

DASEP education program: a separate 12- to 15-hour classroom program on drug and alcohol safety, plus a screening and assessment. The program fee is separate from the $40 panel fee.⁸
Reinstatement fee paid to Driver Control. For implied-consent refusal cases, DFA lists the fee at $150, payable in person at a State Revenue Office, by mail, or online.⁷
Ignition interlock device. For first, second, and subsequent alcohol-related DWIs, the Office of Driver Services restricts your license to require an interlock. The interlock requirement does not apply if the intoxication involved a controlled substance rather than alcohol.⁹
SR-22 insurance. Arkansas generally requires proof of financial responsibility filed by your insurer before reinstatement after a DWI, typically for three years. A lapse triggers a new suspension.
Full driver’s license exam. If your status is “Revoked” rather than “Suspended,” you must pass all phases of the Arkansas driver’s license exam before reinstatement.⁷

Enroll with your regional DASEP provider early. Seats fill, and waiting until the end of your suspension period can push reinstatement back by weeks. Driving on a suspended license while any requirement is still outstanding creates a new criminal charge on top of the one that got you here.

1
Justia. Arkansas Code 5-65-121 – Victim Impact Panel Attendance – Fee
2
Justia. Arkansas Code 5-65-103 – Driving or Boating While Intoxicated
3
Justia. Arkansas Code 5-65-205 – Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test
4
Justia. Arkansas Code 5-65-310 – Refusal to Submit to a Chemical Test
5
Justia. Arkansas Code 3-3-203 – Purchase or Possession by Minor
6
Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Victim Impact Panel
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Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Refusals
8
Arkansas Department of Human Services. Drug and Alcohol Safety Education Program Guidelines
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Justia. Arkansas Code 5-65-118 – Additional Penalties