THE RIO HONDO DUI COURT EXPERIMENT

酒精是美国38.7%的交通死亡的一个促成因素（NHTSA，1998）。 这些死亡事故中有相当多的是由以前因酒后驾车而被定罪的司机造成的（Fell，1990年）。 除了他们构成的事故风险外，DUI罪犯未来DUI犯罪的风险很高。 在加州，所有DUI定罪中约有35%是在过去7年内被判DUI的司机（Peck等人，1994年）。 通常，发现这些多重DUI罪犯具有酒精依赖或滥用障碍（Nochajski等人，1994年）。 这些事实突出表明，必须制定刑事司法干预措施，解决酗酒和酗酒问题，作为减少酒后驾车累犯的一项战略。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累犯。 这种模式将评估和快速进入药物滥用治疗与法院对戒断和治疗依从性的监督相结合。 1998年，许多刑事司法组织发表了一项共识声明，呼吁制定一项促进酒后驾车法庭的国家战略（该研究所，1999年），司法部目前正在提供资金，支持发展此类法庭。 然而，尚未对酒后驾车法庭进行严格的研究。 因此，兰德公司和洛杉矶的里奥洪多市法院提议对模仿里奥洪多毒品法庭的酒后驾车法庭进行实验性评估。 具体而言，330名重复DUI罪犯将被随机分配到DUI法院或例行制裁。 除了参与者的采访之前和两年后分配的条件，刑事，驾驶和其他官方记录将被用来评估是否DUI法院与：1）在后续逮捕率最低; 2）醉酒驾驶事件最少; 3）自我报告较少滥用饮酒模式;（4）从刑事司法制度的角度来看，成本效益比更为有利。 随着全国各地的司法管辖区考虑执行DUI法院，有一个明确的和立即需要的信息，其有效性。 计划中的评价是对这一需要的及时和有力的回应。

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.