NCJ Number
102540
Journal
Alcohol, Drugs, and Driving Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: (April-June 1986) Pages: 47-70
Date Published
1986
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study reviews research on the effectiveness of incarceration as a specific and general deterrent to drunk driving (DWI), problems for courts and corrections due to mandatory jail penalties for DWI, and the deterrence effectiveness of other DWI sanctions.
Abstract
Studies of the deterrence effectiveness of incarceration for drunk driving in Scandinavia, Australia, and the United States indicate that it does not significantly impact the recidivism of the affected offenders nor the drunk-driving rate of the general public over time. The research, however, is too limited and methodologically flawed to be used as the basis for discouraging mandatory incarceration for DWI offenders. Studies have been dependent on correlational controls rather than random assignment, and comparisons between the recidivistic drunk driving of jailed and unjailed DWI offenders has not accounted for variations in risk between these two groups. License suspension has reduced nonalcohol-related accidents and offenses according to some studies, and high fines have reduced recidivism among certain DWI offenders. Possible explanations for these findings are considered. 46 references.