Social status of DUI offenders in jail

It has been argued that DUI (driving under the influence) is an offense of the economically privileged, which suggests that DUI offenders may be different from other offenders. Studies of DUI arrestees and jail inmates, however, suggest they have more extensive criminal histories than other licensed drivers and similar criminal histories to other jail inmates. This study utilizes data from a representative national survey of over 5,000 jail inmates to compare jailed DUI offenders with other offenders on social characteristics, prior criminality, drug use, and alcohol use. The purpose of these comparisons is to determine whether DUI inmates represent a distinct "class" of offender for whom jail is a new experience. The implications of this distinction for policies which mandate jail time for DUI offenders are discussed.