NCJ Number
93637
Date Published
1981
Length
61 pages
Annotation
This report focuses on drunk-driver programs, the extent of drunk-driver conviction in New South Wales (Australia), and the current style of diversion schemes. It is designed to assist the New South Wales Drug and Alcohol authority in developing policy on countermeasures for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI).
Abstract
In reviewing DUI programs, no attempt is made to thoroughly review the research literature but rather to orient the reader to some of the broader issues involved and common DUI countermeasures used. The current presentence diversion model used in New South Wales is indicated to be inadequate, and a postsentence/prelicense renewal model is recommended. Such an approach involves the assessment of the offender on the basis of a typology followed by the application of a variety of client-matched interventions. The extent of DUI convictions in New South Wales is examined because the development of planned intervention requires knowledge of the size of the problem and the areas of need. Distinction is made between the number of offenses and the number of convictions. The greatest number of convictions were found in the Sydney metropolitan area and the urban centers of Wollongong and Newcastle, and the conviction rate was greater in rural areas than in metropolitan areas. No correlation between alcohol consumption and DUI was found. Taking .15 blood alcohol level as an indicator of 'problem' drinking, each region has about as many convicted offenders below that point as above it. A review of the current style of diversion schemes determined that as of May 1981, there were 16 DUI programs in New South Wales receiving referrals from 27 courts of petty sessions. Fifty-one percent of the courts dealing with more than 100 offenders annually had diversion programs available. Most are presentence programs that have an educational orientation, which do not do thorough assessments of DUI behavior. Although there is no uniform method for obtaining data on those entering DUI programs, it is estimated that 10 percent of the 18,000 DUI offenders attend programs annually. The appendixes list the number and location of breath analysis units in New South Wales and provide the questionnaire used to obtain information on current DUI rehabilitation schemes. Tabular data and program flow diagrams are provided.