NCJ Number
145140
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1993) Pages: 265-288
Date Published
1993
Length
24 pages
Annotation
The relationship between increasing severity of punishment for misdemeanor driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offenders and recidivism rates was studied.
Abstract
Researchers conducted a followup analysis of 1,231 DUI cases filed in Sacramento County (CA) which, throughout the 1980's, implemented legal reforms increasing the penalties for DUI. They compared data from cases filed in 1980, 1984, and 1988. At 24 months, they found no corresponding decrease in recidivism rates, possibly because reforms did not increase the certainty of punishment, or because the severity was neutralized by the fact that the offender could choose among alternative sanctions. However, there was a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and choice of sanction. The authors consider the possibility that legal reform did produce a deterrent effect that was offset by an increase in the probability of apprehension. Further, throughout California over the course of the decade, the rate of DUI arrests decreased by 7.5 percent and the rate of alcohol-related fatalities fell by 44.2 percent (while the rate of non-alcohol-related fatalities fell by 24.0 percent). However, these trends could be explained by other factors such as heightened health awareness and declines in alcohol consumption. 8 tables and 41 references