NCJ Number
74821
Date Published
1979
Length
65 pages
Annotation
This study dealt with major rehabilitation programs in the Los Angeles County Mini-ASAP (Alcohol Safety Action Project) area of California, composed of the Rio Hondo, Citrus, and Pomona municipal court districts, and found that while all components were not effective in the treatment of offenders, others were effective enough to result in statewide legislation for treatment of drinking/driving offenders.
Abstract
The three major rehabilitation programs studies were Disulfiram, Alcoholics Anonymous, and court school programs. A program was considered effective if it helped in the reduction of recidivism for alcohol-related driving offenses and accidents. The study used samples of drivers who were referred to the three types of treatments. It also used a comparison group composed of individuals who were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), but not referred for treatment. Multiple regression analyses formed the core of the study; recidivism rates for selected groups were compared, as were the profiles of recidivists and nonrecidivists. Alcoholics Anonymous gave statistical evidence of effectiveness 30 months after clients entered the ASAP system. Disulfiram treatment combined with other modes of treatment was statistically effective in reducing recidivism for clients who had been in treatment for 30 months. Further, the more alcohol-related prior offenses a subject had and the younger his age, the more likely he was to be arrested on a similar charge. ASAP was influential in increasing the number of Alcoholics Anonymous chapters and the variety of programs offered. The Disulfiram Clinic continued to operate after ASAP funding terminated, and under a new grant was able to expand and diversify its services. Court school programs expanded and spread throughout Los Angeles County. ASAP's stress on rehabilitation for DUI offenders contributed to the passage of SB 330 in September 1975, a bill that adopted the ASAP strategy for combatting DUI offenses throughout California. Flow charts, data tables, and footnotes are included. Analyses of variance on alcohol-related offenses and accidents for 1973 and 1974 treatment and comparison groups are appended. (Author abstract modified)