NCJ Number
158342
Journal
Journal of Traffic Medicine Volume: 18 Dated: (1990) Pages: 15-26
Date Published
1990
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study compared 2-year recidivism rates for a group of 8,938 convicted drunken drivers in Maryland.
Abstract
The sample included four groups: drivers sentenced to treatment in an inpatient facility for up to four weeks; drivers placed in a weekly, face-to-face monitoring program for up to 2 years; drivers assigned to neither program; and drivers assigned to both programs. The results of several statistical analyses revealed that offenders assigned to the inpatient treatment facility or the monitoring program had lower recidivism rates than offenders assigned to neither program. The impact of the treatment program appeared to be greater for first offenders than for multiple offenders. However, even for first-time offenders, the effectiveness of the program was greater in the first year following conviction than in the second year. Sentencing the offenders to treatment seemed to increase the time between the index conviction and a subsequent DWI conviction for those offenders who did reoffend. The highest recidivism rate was found among young drivers under the age of 21. 1 table, 4 figures, and 19 references