NCJ Number
122916
Date Published
1989
Length
67 pages
Annotation
This report analyzes trends in arrests, convictions, and sentencing for driving while intoxicated (DWI) in Rhode Island in order to identify significant changes in the pattern of intoxicated driving and to assess the impact of legislation, the criminal justice system, and public opinion in effecting such changes.
Abstract
The data, gathered from State and Federal reports on DWI and through interviews with professionals, is used to construct profiles of DWI offenders and to evaluate how effective the criminal justice system is in stopping DWI in the State. Key findings indicate that most DWI offenders are young, single, and male. DWI is the fifth most common offense in Rhode Island, but strict pretrial procedures in establishing probable cause have made DWI convictions more difficult to obtain even though evidence suggests that the breathalyzers approved in the State are a reliable means to test for intoxication. Most alcohol-related accidents occur in outlying areas than in urban or suburban communities in Rhode Island. In this State, DWI education, enforcement, adjudication, incarceration, and substance abuse treatment cost about $1.78 million in 1988. 9 tables, 2 appendixes, 22 references.