NCJ Number
52231
Journal
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF STUDIES ON ALCOHOL Volume: 33 Issue: 1-A Dated: (MARCH 1972) Pages: 148-159
Date Published
1972
Length
12 pages
Annotation
ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENT AND BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATIONS ARE USED TO EXAMINE POLICE BIAS IN DRUNKEN DRIVING ARRESTS IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF., AND COLUMBUS, OHIO. NO BIAS IS FOUND.
Abstract
A PREVIOUS STUDY SHOWED THAT PERSONS ARRESTED FOR DRUNKEN DRIVING IN BOTH JURISDICTIONS WERE OVERWHELMINGLY MALE, GENERALLY AGED 25-54, LIVED IN POORER PARTS OF THE AREA, AND DISPROPORTIONATELY REPRESENTED MINORITY GROUPS (HISPANICS IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY, BLACKS IN COLUMBUS). THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE DEGREE TO WHICH POLICE ARRESTED MINORITY GROUP PERSONS FOR BEHAVIORS FOR WHICH ANGLOS (NON-HISPANIC WHITES) WOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO FREE. THE REASONS WHY ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENT AND BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATIONS WERE CHOSEN AS STUDY VARIABLES ARE EXPLAINED. THE EXPERIMENT PROCEDURES INVOLVED ARE DETAILED. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS FOUND THAT MINORITY PERSONS FROM POOR AREAS WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE INVOLVED IN AN ALCOHOL-RELATED ACCIDENTS THAN ANGLOS FROM A MORE AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOOD. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT YOUNGER MALES WERE INVOLVED IN MORE ACCIDENTS THAN OLDER MALES. SO FEW FEMALES WERE INVOLVED THAT COMPARISON WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR THIS GROUP. BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATIONS INCREASED WITH AGE UNTIL ABOUT AGE 45-50, THEN DECREASED. HOWEVER, CONCENTRATIONS WERE HIGHER AMONG POOR MINORITY PERSONS ARRESTED THAN AMONG ANGLOS ARRESTED. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE REASON MORE POOR MINORITY YOUNG MALES ARE ARRESTED IS THAT MORE POOR MINORITY YOUNG MALES ARE INVOLVED IN ALCOHOL-RELATED ACCIDENTS. ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENT, BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATIONS, AND ARRESTS ALSO INCREASED WITH INCREASED UNEMPLOYMENT AND AN INCREASE IN BROKEN HOMES, ALTHOUGH THESE SOCIAL VARIABLES WERE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH ON DRUNKEN DRIVERS IS SUGGESTED. TABLES PRESENT STUDY DATA. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (GLR)