title: Does the probability of DWI arrest fall following participation in DWI and hybrid drug treatment court programs?
abstract: Using North Carolina administrative data, this study examined recidivism following participation in specialty hybrid drug and driving while intoxicated (DWI) court programs. Three court program participation levels were considered-being referred to, enrolling in, and completing a specialty court program. Measures of DWI recidivism were: arrest and total number of arrests for DWI, and being convicted of DWI during follow-up periods of two and, alternatively, four years. Propensity score matching was used to obtain comparable control groups. Using a four-year follow-up, persons convicted of a DWI who completed a specialty court program were associated with a greater reduction in DWI re-arrests and re-convictions than did matched individuals who were never referred to a specialty court program. DWI courts were more effective in reducing re-arrests than hybrid drug courts were. Although promising from the vantage point of participants, few persons convicted of a DWI were referred to either court type, thus limiting this strategy's potential effectiveness in reducing DWI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Duke University, Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708, United States.
authors.forename: Frank A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Sloan
authors.affiliation: Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University, Box 90545, Durham, NC 27708, United States.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Gifford
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Duke University, Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708, United States. Electronic address: lindsey.eldred@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Lindsey M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Eldred
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Duke University, Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708, United States.
authors.forename: Sabrina A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McCutchan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000066448:Driving Under the Influence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033222:Judicial Role; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D057216:Propensity Score; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: DWI courts; Drinking and driving; Hybrid drug courts; Recidivism