NCJ Number
104872
Date Published
1986
Length
48 pages
Annotation
Using an effective classification system for drunk driving offenders can achieve cost savings in correctional services by separating offenders who can be adequately supervised through probation and community work release purposes and those who require incarceration in secure facilities.
Abstract
An assessment should include evaluation of the offender's criminal record; the current offense; medical or mental health problems; and the potential for suicide, escape, or violence. Five nonresidential options exist for convicted drunk drivers: community service, victim restitution, probation supervision, driver license suspension, and alcohol education and treatment. Interest is increasing in using community service as both an adjunct and an alternative to confining nonviolent offenders. Courts rarely require victim restitution, but it appears to be particularly useful for drunk driving offenders as an alternative to community service. Neither jail nor intensive probation have been evaluated sufficiently with respect to drunk driving offenders to determine their relative effectiveness in preventing recidivism. Suspension of the driver's license is the one sanction that has been shown to reduce future involvement in accidents. This penalty can be applied to all drunk drivers to protect the public as well as to punish. Short-term alcohol education can aid first offenders who are social drinkers. Problem drinkers who are either first or multiple offenders require at least 1 year of supervised therapy. Nearly all treatment programs for drunk drivers are supported by offender fees. Communities could collect higher proportions of their program costs than they now do, because drunk drivers are more likely than other offenders to be employed and earning an income. Data tables, maps, glossary, and 123 references. For three related reports, see NCJ 104871, 104873, and 104874.