NCJ Number
117265
Date Published
1989
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This study identified common factors among impersonators with false State identification cards, determined motivations behind the impersonation attempts, and examined whether the 1986 statutory amendment changing the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 years was a major influence in the occurrence of this offense.
Abstract
The study examined 64 incidents of impersonation and attempted impersonation from July 1984 through December 1988. On average there were approximately 14 impersonation offenses per year from 1985 through 1988. Of the 64 impersonators, 54 percent were under the legal drinking age. Twenty-three (37 percent) of the impersonators revealed that they wanted the false ID to meet age qualifications for attending a disco, bar, or nightclub. Twenty-four of the impersonators were arrested and booked by police. Seventy-one percent had no previous arrest record. All of the juvenile impersonators were taken to the Juvenile Crime Prevention Division, counseled, and released to their parents or guardians without a filing of charges. Of those booked, the majority were charged with tampering with a public record. Of those booked, 65 percent were granted deferred acceptance of guilty pleas in court, five were found guilty, and none received the maximum fine or prison sentence. The study concludes that the increased legal drinking age was a significant reason for impersonation offenses, particularly in the year following the passage of the drinking age law. 19 tables, 10 notes, glossary.