NCJ Number
106555
Date Published
1987
Length
29 pages
Annotation
A study of the effects over 4 years of a Massachusetts law that strengthened penalties for drunk drivers used data from a random sample of 1,153 persons arraigned in Massachusetts between July 1984 and January 1985 on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Abstract
The law, Chapter 373, gave the courts the power to take a more punitive stance toward both first offenders and repeat offenders. It was enacted in 1982. The analysis focused on the offender characteristics, the dispositions in primary and jury courts, the relationship between the offense and the sentence, and the nature and extent of recidivism. Arraignments had risen 29 percent since 1980. Males accounted for 89 percent of those arraigned. Sixty-four percent of the males and 76 percent of the females arraigned were between ages 21 and 41. Twenty-one percent had been convicted of a drunk driving offense within the past 6 years. Most first offenders were mandated to first offender programs and/or probation. Fourteen percent of the offenders recidivated within 18 months, usually within 6 months. Chronic drunk driving offenses were positively related with alcohol abuse. Figures and tables.