NCJ Number
80694
Journal
Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: (1981) Pages: 1-9
Date Published
1981
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This longitudinal study compared first-time, driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) offenders in Mississippi with those who recidivated following an attempt at rehabilitation (in this case, alcohol safety education).
Abstract
A sample of 461 offenders were randomly drawn from a total of 911 students who attended Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program (MASEP) schools between October 1972 and June 1974. Subjects' official driving records were monitored for recidivism until January 1975. Of the 461 subjects in the sample, 379 (82.2 percent) were nonrepeaters and 82 (17.8 percent) were repeaters. The dependent variables was repeat status, i.e., whether or not the subject was reconvicted of DWI following participation in MASEP. The independent variables were (1) demographic -- sex, race, age, marital status, income occupation, etc.; (2) situational or circumstantial -- satisfaction with current job, type of beverage consumed prior to arrest, time of day subject usually drinks, etc.; and (3) behavioral -- public intoxication records, blood alcohol concentration, and occurrence of blackouts. Findings indicate that DWI repeaters differed significantly from nonrepeaters on 4 of the 23 variables tested. Repeaters were more likely to have zero to two dependent children, to attend church frequently, to drink occasionally, and to have one or more arrests for public intoxication. Tables, footnotes, and 32 references are supplied.