Recidivism Risk of Repeat Intoxicated Drivers Monitored with Alcohol Biomarkers

Abstract

This feasibility study analyzed the effects of alcohol biomarker testing in reducing the rearrest rates and/or lengthening the time between rearrests in repeat intoxicated drivers in Waukesha County. Participants were 250 repeat offenders who underwent monitoring with biomarker testing after being arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol between 2006 and 2009. In 2012, their traffic records were reviewed to determine any subsequent drunk driving arrests since their assessments in 2006 to 2009. Regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the length of biomarker monitoring (LOM) and the time to recidivism (TTR). LOM was defined as the time between the offender's first test at enrollment in this study (baseline Early Detection of Alcohol Consumption [EDAC]) and the last test at the end of monitoring. TTR was defined as the length of time from baseline EDAC until the driver's next subsequent DUI offense. The results showed that 32 of the 250 drivers enrolled in this pilot were rearrested during the study period for an overall recidivism rate of 12.8%. The rearrested drivers were mostly men (88%), young adults (34 years), employed (84%), and predominantly single or divorced (86%). Their drinking profile at baseline showed that 93% claimed at least one month of abstinence before their first sample was collected yet almost one half (48%) of them tested positive for biomarkers. Regression analysis showed a positive and significant correlation between LOM and TTR (r = 0.41; p < 0.05; coefficient for LOM = 1.28; N = 23) indicating that for every additional day of biomarker monitoring the time to re-arrest increased by more than one day. This feasibility study provides preliminary evidence suggesting that repeat DUI offenders monitored with alcohol biomarkers take longer to get rearrested with a subsequent DUI than those not monitored with biomarkers.