Assessing Alternative Protocols for Underage Alcohol Sales Compliance Checks

描述（由申请人提供）： 摘要：在过去的十年中，对零售酒精销售点的合规检查已成为减少未成年人获得酒精的关键执法战略。全国各地的酒精执法机构使用合规检查来确定和制裁非法向21岁以下买家出售酒精饮料的零售店。合规检查程序也用于监测各州和社区的合规率。从遵守情况检查方案的结果来看，遵守率自这些方案开始实施以来已大大提高。然而，研究人员和执法官员都担心酒精饮料执法机构和警察部门使用的合规检查协议变得不那么有效，并且基于合规检查程序的公布合规率可能会无意中被夸大。这种担忧的原因是，最常用的协议要求未成年手术者在被问及年龄时必须如实回答。此策略用于避免有关诱捕的潜在法律的挑战。然而，随着时间的推移，许多卖家似乎已经很好地理解了这些协议，以至于他们只是简单地询问未成年人的年龄。由于禁止操作员谎报年龄，潜在的销售在这个早期阶段过早中断--甚至在需要要求身份证明之前。一个更现实的情况是，未成年购买者回应说，他/她是足够的年龄和/或生产假ID。在与佛蒙特州酒类控制委员会和新罕布什尔州酒类委员会合作，拟议的研究将随机分配标准协议或两个替代方案和更现实的协议之一，以在这两个州的许可的内部和外部网点的样本。将比较三个方案中观察到的不依从率，以获得有意义和统计学显著性差异的证据。还将识别与不合规相关的销售点特征和购买尝试的特征。 公共卫生相关性： 项目叙述：执法机构使用合规检查程序来确定可能向未成年人出售酒精饮料的持牌酒类销售点。有人担心，这些方案所使用的程序似乎正在失去效力，而且可能高估了实际遵守率。本研究的目的是比较标准程序与两种替代方案的合规性检查结果。研究结果可能会导致使用更有效的合规检查程序，并产生更准确的估计合规率。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract: Over the past decade, compliance checks of retail alcohol outlets have become a key enforcement strategy in efforts to reduce underage access to alcohol. Alcohol law enforcement agencies throughout the country use compliance checks to identify and sanction retail outlets that illegally sell alcoholic beverages to buyers under the age of 21. Compliance check programs are also used to monitor compliance rates in states and communities. Compliance rates, as measured by the results of compliance check programs, have improved considerably since these programs were first initiated. There is, however, concern by both researchers and law enforcement officials that the compliance check protocols utilized by alcoholic beverage enforcement agencies and police departments are becoming less effective, and published compliance rates based on compliance check programs may be unintentionally inflated. The reason for this concern is that the protocol most commonly used requires the underage operative to be truthful if asked about his or her age. This strategy is used to avoid potential legal challenges regarding entrapment. Over time, however, many sellers appear to have come to understand these protocols so well that they simply ask the underage operative their age. Because the operative is prohibited from lying about his/her age, the potential sale is prematurely interrupted at this early juncture - even before the need to ask for identification. A more realistic scenario would have the underage purchaser responding that he/she is of sufficient age and/or producing a false ID. In collaboration with the Vermont Liquor Control Board and the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, the proposed study will randomly assign either the standard protocol or one of two alternative and more realistic protocols to a sample of licensed on-premise and off-premise outlets in these two states. The observed rates of non- compliance will be compared across the three protocols for evidence of meaningful and statistically significant differences. Outlet characteristics and features of the purchase attempt that are related to non- compliance will also be identified. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Project Narrative: Compliance check programs are used by law enforcement agencies to identify licensed alcohol outlets that may be selling alcohol to underage persons. Concerns have been raised that the procedures used for these programs appear to be losing their effectiveness, and may also be overestimating actual compliance rates. The purpose of this study is to compare compliance check results from the standard procedure to those from two alternative protocols. Results from the study could lead to the use of more effective compliance check programs and produce more accurate estimates of compliance rates.