Planning and Evaluation Study of the Suffolk County DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) Jail Alternatives Program: Twenty-Four Month Report

• NCJ Number: 112121
• Author(s): J J Golbin; S D Trotto; R D'Augusta
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 65 pages
• Corporate Author: Suffolk County Probation Dept
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This 2-year evaluation of the Suffolk County DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) Jail Alternatives Program indicates the program has been successful in achieving its objective of alternative corrections and treatment for jail-bound recidivist drunk drivers.

Abstract

There are two major program components: the DWI jail alternatives facility (under the sheriff's jurisdiction) and the intensive probation supervision component (operated by the probation department). Alcohol treatment services are essential elements of each component. The evaluation, which was conducted between August 1987 and January 1988, consisted of structured interviews with appropriate persons, questionnaires completed by project staff, and a statistical analysis of the program's impact. The evaluation yielded positive findings: a 1.7-percent felony DWI recidivism rate and a 5.8-percent DWI recidivism rate after approximately 1 year. The 11.7-percent combined DWI and non-DWI rearrest rate is also encouraging. Program participants are apparently true jail-bound offenders, and the reduced split-sentence dispositions are effective alternatives to jail. 35 tables and 17 references.