Part III, Institution Building in the Social Control of Drunk Driving: Incapacitation (From Drunk Driving: An American Dilemma, P 148-159, 1989, James B Jacobs -See NCJ-116178)

• NCJ Number: 116183
• Author(s): J B Jacobs
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 12 pages
• Sale Source: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Incapacitation has an important role in reducing drunk driving, and the key to incapacitation is preventing defendants and convicted offenders from using their vehicles.

Abstract

This can be accomplished through the judicious use of license restrictions, suspensions, and revocations. In implementing such sanctions, however, the licensing system must not be overburdened. Increased suspensions and revocations must be matched by increased enforcement resources and credible sanctions for those who violate license restrictions. Short-term vehicle impoundment is a useful supplement to license suspension. Forfeiture, a more extreme penalty, might be a potent sanction, but it should be reserved for the most serious cases of aggravated drunk driving and injury-causing offenses. Home detention, supported by electronic surveillance, has potential to provide a workable midrange incapacitating strategy. It should become a standard sanction for drunk drivers, but effective monitoring and enforcement must also be developed. Prolonged incarceration is an appropriate response to aggravated and recidivist drunk drivers.