NCJ Number
162899
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 24 Issue: 3 Dated: (1996) Pages: 273-281
Date Published
1996
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The Turning Point project in Cincinnati, Ohio, is designed to treat chronic drunk drivers; this article compares the postrelease success rates of Turning Point clients and others who have been at risk for over 4 years.
Abstract
The Turning Point project began in 1988 and served over 1,700 clients during the ensuing 4 years. The project is a residential education and treatment program designed for adjudicated repeat drunk drivers who have been sentenced to a period of incarceration. Clients are to have served a period of incarceration (30 days or more) prior to being transferred to the program. When transferred, they are expected to complete a 28-day residential program of education about chemical dependency and individual and group counseling. Upon successful completion of the program, clients are returned to court for sentence modification and released from custody. Once released from custody, Turning Point clients complete a 6-month aftercare program designed to help them in the community. The initial evaluation of the project sought to compare the postrelease behavior of clients with multiple drunk driving offenders not treated by the project, using a quasi-experimental research design. The experimental group consisted of 531 repeat drunk drivers who participated in the Turning Point program during the first 23 months of project operation. The comparison group consisted of 200 repeat drunk drivers who were adjudicated during the same period but who did not participate in the Turning Point project. Examination of the short-term performance of the original Turning Point client cohort was promising; clients did marginally better than the comparison group. The longer term followup of the performance of the original cohort showed improved longer term postrelease client performance. Success is defined as no new charges for any offense, an alcohol-related offense, or a drunk driving offense. 5 tables, 4 figures, 4 notes, and 2 references