An Evaluation of Three Intensive Supervision Programs for Serious DWI Offenders

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Public Health
• Criminal Justice

Background:

• Driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) offenses present significant public safety concerns.
• Various supervision and probation programs exist for DWI offenders, ranging from basic to intensive.
• Intensive supervision programs (ISPs) involve increased monitoring and contact with authorities compared to standard probation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of three specific Intensive Supervision Programs (ISPs) for Driving-While-Intoxicated (DWI) offenders.
• To assess the impact of these programs on offender recidivism rates.

Main Methods:

• Evaluation of three distinct ISPs: Minnesota Staggered Sentencing Program, Westchester County DWI Enforcement Program, and Oregon DUII Intensive Supervision Program (DISP).
• Comparison of recidivism rates between offenders in ISPs and matched control groups.
• Analysis of long-term and short-term recidivism data, including re-arrests for DWI.

Main Results:

• The Minnesota program showed a significant 30.6% lower recidivism rate up to 4 years post-offense.
• The Oregon DISP demonstrated a substantial 54.1% lower recidivism rate up to 8 years post-offense.
• The Westchester program was effective in the short term (18.1% lower recidivism in 5 years) but not long-term (5.4% lower in 15 years).

Conclusions:

• Intensive supervision programs (ISPs) demonstrate effectiveness in reducing DWI offender recidivism.
• Specific programs, like those in Minnesota and Oregon, show strong potential for preventing re-arrests.
• The benefit-cost ratio of ISPs appears favorable for preventing recidivism.