THE RIO HONDO DUI COURT EXPERIMENT

酒精是导致美国38.7%的交通事故死亡的一个因素(NHTSA，1998)。这些死亡事件中，有很大一部分是由以前被判醉酒驾驶(DUI)的司机造成的(Fell，1990)。除了构成事故风险外，酒后驾车的违法者未来酒后驾车的风险也很高。在加利福尼亚州，约35%的酒后驾车定罪是针对过去7年内被判酒后驾车的司机(Peck等人，1994年)。通常，这些多个酒后驾车罪犯被发现有酒精依赖或滥用障碍(Nochajski等人，1994年)。这些事实突显了制定解决酗酒和酗酒问题的刑事司法干预措施作为减少酒后驾车累犯的战略的重要性。在刑事司法环境中，人们越来越乐观地认为，流行的毒品法庭模式可以有效地适用于酒后驾车的累犯。这一模式结合了评估和快速进入药物滥用治疗，以及法院对戒酒和治疗依从性的监督。1998年，许多刑事司法组织发表了一项协商一致的声明，呼吁制定促进酒后驾车法庭的国家战略(该研究所，1999年)，司法部现在提供资金支持这类法庭的发展。然而，目前还没有关于酒后驾车法院的严格研究。因此，兰德和洛杉矶里约本多市法院提议对仿照里约热内卢毒品法院的酒后驾车法院进行试验性评估。具体来说，330名屡次酒后驾车的人将被随机分配到酒后驾车法院或常规处罚。除了参与者在被分配到酒后驾车之前和两年后进行的访谈外，还将使用刑事、驾驶和其他官方记录来评估酒后驾车法院是否与以下因素有关：1)后续行动中最低的逮捕率；2)醉酒驾驶事件最少；3)自我报告较少的虐待饮酒模式；以及4)从刑事司法系统的角度来看，更有利的成本效益比。由于全国各地的司法机关都在考虑实施酒后驾车法院，因此迫切需要关于其有效性的信息。计划中的评价是对这一需要作出的及时和严格的回应。

Alcohol is a contributing factor in 38.7 percent of U.S. traffic fatalities (NHTSA, 1998). A disproportionate number of these fatalities are caused by drivers previously convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) of intoxicants (Fell, 1990). In addition to the accident risk they pose, DUI offenders are at high risk for future DUI offenses. In California, approximately 35 percent of all DUI convictions are for drivers convicted of DUI within the past 7 years (Peck et al., 1994). Typically, these multiple DUI offenders are found to have alcohol dependence or abuse disorders (Nochajski et al., 1994). These facts highlight the importance of developing criminal justice interventions that address alcoholism and alcohol abuse as a strategy for reducing DUI recidivism. Within criminal justice settings there is a growing optimism that the popular drug court model can be effectively adapted for use with DUI recidivists. This model combines assessment and rapid entry into substance abuse treatment, with court supervision of abstinence and treatment compliance. A consensus statement from many criminal justice organizations calling for a national strategy to promote DUI Courts was issued in 1998 (The Institute, 1999), and the Department of Justice is now offering funds to support the development of such courts. However, no rigorous studies of DUI courts are yet available. Therefore, RAND and the Rio Hondo Municipal Court of Los Angeles propose to conduct an experimental evaluation of a DUI Court modeled on the Rio Hondo Drug Court. Specifically, 330 repeat DUI offenders will be randomly assigned to DUI Court or routine sanctions. In addition to participant interviews conducted before and two years after assignment to condition, criminal, driving, and other official records will be used to evaluate whether DUI Court is associated with: 1) The lowest rates of arrest at follow-up; 2) The fewest incidents of intoxicated driving; 3) Self-reports of less abusive drinking patters; and 4) A more advantageous cost-benefit ratio from the standpoint of the criminal justice system. With jurisdictions across the county considering implementation of DUI Courts, there is a clear and immediate need for information on their effectiveness. The planned evaluation represents a timely and rigorous response to this need.