NCJ Number
212751
Date Published
September 2005
Length
66 pages
Annotation
This report presents the findings of an exploratory evaluation of the assessment and treatment process for Driving While Impaired (DWI) offenders in Maryland.
Abstract
While researchers have focused a great deal of attention on the effectiveness of substance abuse treatment among the offender population, surprisingly little research has been conducted regarding the effectiveness of alcohol treatment for DWI offenders. This study of the DWI offender assessment and treatment process in Maryland addresses this gap in the literature by examining DWI offender characteristics, offender placement into treatment, and factors predicting re-assessment. The Maryland DWI process is described, which involves an offender assessment for alcohol problems by a State-approved agency resulting in a recommendation for the type of intervention necessary. Evaluation methodology involved linking two databases maintained by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Administration containing records of DWI arrests that have been court-referred for assessment and on all admissions and discharges within all certified private and public alcohol and drug treatment programs. The analysis focused on the assessment and subsequent treatment experiences of 78,336 DWI offenders between 1995 and 2003 and on the factors that predicted re-assessment within the system. The results section details the characteristics of DWI offenders in Maryland and describes the assessment process as well as the process for entering alcohol treatment. Findings showed that 19 percent of DWI offenders who never entered treatment were re-assessed compared with only 7 percent of DWI offenders who completed treatment requirements. Policy implications and recommendations are offered and include the need to develop standardized assessment procedures to ensure that DWI offenders are referred to appropriate treatment. Tables, figures, references, appendixes