REHABILITATION OF THE DRUNKEN DRIVER IN THE UNITED STATES - AN EVALUATION OF THE APPROACH USED BY THE PHOENIX, ARIZONA ALCOHOL SAFETY ACTION PROJECT

• NCJ Number: 59140
• Author(s): T R CLAY
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 21 pages
• Contract Number(s): DOT-HS-052-1-068
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Admin
• Corporate Author: Phoenix (AZ) Alcohol Safety Action Project
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PAPER PRESENTED AT THE 24TH INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE ON THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ALCOHOLISM, JUNE 25 JULY 1, 1978

Annotation

THE REHABILITATION COMPONENT OF A PROGRAM IN PHOENIX, ARIZ., DESIGNED TO REDUCE ALCOHOL-RELATED TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IS DESCRIBED AND EVALUATED.

Abstract

THE PHOENIX ALCOHOL SAFETY ACTION PROJECT, FUNDED WITH LOCAL AND FEDERAL MONEY, OPERATED FROM 1972 TO 1976. IN ADDITION TO REHABILITATION, THE PROGRAM FEATURED INCREASED ENFORCEMENT OF DRIVING-WHILE-INTOXICATED (DWI) LAWS, PLUS EDUCATION OF JUDGES AND THE PUBLIC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGNS WERE USED TO EVALUATE THE REHABILITATION COMPONENT, WHICH INITIALLY INVOLVED THE RANDOM ASSIGNMENT OF DWI OFFENDERS TO DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF A DWI SCHOOL. LATER IN THE PROGRAM, DWI OFFENDERS WERE SCREENED AND ASSIGNED EITHER TO MINIMAL TREATMENT (HOME STUDY), A DWI PREVENTION WORKSHOP, A THERAPY WORKSHOP, OR A POWER MOTIVATION COURSE (THE LAST TWO FOR DWI OFFENDERS DIAGNOSED AS PROBLEM DRINKERS). TREATMENT EFFECTS WERE MEASURED BY DETERMINING ARREST RECIDIVISM RATES FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND (FOR THE SCREENING-BASED PROGRAMS) BY CONDUCTING FOLLOWUP INTERVIEWS. EVALUATION FINDINGS PROVIDE CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE THAT NONE OF THE TREATMENTS WERE VERY EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING DWI ARREST RECIDIVISM OR IN SOLVING OFFENDERS' ALCOHOL-RELATED PROBLEMS. THERE WERE SOME INADEQUACIES IN THE EVALUATION DESIGN, BUT NONE WAS OF SUCH MAGNITUDE AS TO NEGATE THE CONCLUSION THAT THE TREATMENTS WERE LARGELY INEFFECTUAL. THE HOME STUDY COURSE, A RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE TREATMENT MODALITY, MADE A SUPRISINGLY STRONG SHOWING IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER MODALITIES. THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY DEVELOP AND TEST A DIFFERENT MIX OF DWI REHABILITATION PROGRAMS, WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE MAY BE NO FORM OF SHORT-TERM REHABILITATION SUFFICIENT TO MODIFY DWI BEHAVIOR. SUPPORTING DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)