If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. ,j~ , ,S---~ t Sentencingand; Dispositions of Youth DUI and Other AlcoholOffenses: ° ..,a~jl TERMS USED IN TItIS GUIDE THE POPULAaIONS • Juvenile/Minor: a young person who has not yet reached the age at which he or she is treated as an adult for purposes of criminal law (Black et al. 1990). In the majority of States, this age is 18, although in ten it is 17, and in three it is 16 (neFrances and Strom 1997). • Youth/Underage: all persons, including juveniles, who are younger than age 21. • Young adult: a person who is under age 21 but not considered a juvenile in his or her State (e.g., an 18- to 20-year-old). Adult: a person age 21 or older. THE OFFENSES • Status offense: an act by a juvenile that would not constitute a crime if engaged in by an adult (e.g., purchasing, possessing, or consuming alcohol). • Delinquent offense: an act by a juvenile that would constitute a crime if committed by an adult (e.g., driving under the influence of alcohol). KEY LAWS • Minimum legal drinking age (MLDA): State laws that make it illegal for any person who is younger than 21 either (1) to purchase, possess, or consume alcoholic beverages or (2) to misrepresent their age to obtain such beverages. • Zero tolerance: laws prohibiting the operation of a motor vehicle by anyone under the age of 21 with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) equal to or greater than 0.02, in most States. BAC is usually defined as either grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, or grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. • Driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated (DWI) laws: laws that make it a criminal offense to operate a motor vehicle while impaired or intoxicated by alcohol or other drugs. These laws do not require a measurement of alcoholic content. Rather, the offense is committed when there is evidence that the driver's behavior is caused by the influence or impairment of alcohol or other drugs. SENTENCINGAND DISPOSITIONSOF YOUTHDUI AND OTHER ALCOHOLOFFENSES: A GUIDEFOR JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS ~~_~4 People Saving People www,nhtsa.dot, gov NIAAA National Instilutc on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This manual was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)with the assistance of an interdisciplinary working group of judges, prosecutors, researchers, alcohol and other drug abuse counselors, probation officers, and law enforcement officers. The conclusions and recommendations in this Guide are based on the findings of more than two decades of research on interventions in impaired driving and their effectiveness. NHTSA and NIAAAwould like to acknowledge the contributions of members of the Expert Panel on Sentencing and Dispositions of Youth DUI and Other Alcohol Offenses, including Leslie Acoca; James C. Backstrom, Esq.; Hon. Linda L. Chezem; Dr. James Frank; Hon. Karl B. Grube; Dr. Andrew Klein; SEt. Joe Knott; Dr. Susan Martin; Dr. Howard N. Snyder; SEt. Ross Taylor; Hon. Chet W. Vahle; and Dr. Robert B. Voas. A number of panel members contributed text to the Guide. NHTSAand NIAAAwould like to thank other contributors, including Dr. James Hedlund; Jim Wright; Kay Chopard, Esq.; Jon Walker, Steven Hatos, Esq.; James Fell; and Amy Berning of NHTSA; Dr. Enoch Gordis, Dr. Richard K. Fuller, Dr. Jan Howard, and Dr. John Allen of NIAAA; Sharon Cantelon of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) of the U.S. Department of Justice; Baibara Wagner of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP); George Kanuck of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT); Nancy Rea of Drawing the Line on Under 21 Alcohol Use in Montgomery County, Maryland; Dr. Sherrie Aitken, Dianne Welsh, Dr.Gerald Williams, Edward Spurlock, Kathleen Mullen, Susan Cornwall, Don Rebovich, and Michael Peters of CSR, Inc.; and Eve N. Shapiro and Lori Wolfgang of CSR, Inc., for their expertise in researching, writing, editing, and designing this Guide. All material contained in this Guide is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission from NHTSAor NIAAA. ~q ii CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................~ ................................................. 1 TERMS USED IN THIS GUIDE ....................................................................................................................................... 2 II. THE FACTS ................................: ............................................................................................................................ 3 PREVmENCE DE DRINKINGAMONG YOUTH ..................................................................................................................... 3 PREVALENCE OF DRINKINGAND DRIVINGAMONG YOUTH .................................................................................................. 3 ALCOHOL-RELATEDCRASH RISKAMONG YOUTH ............................................................................................. i ................ 5 UNDER-2] ACCESSTO ALCOHOL................................................................................................................................... 5 III. THE LAWS............................................................................................................................................................... 7 LAWS DIRECTEDAT DRIVING UNDERTHE INFLUENCEOF ALCOHOLAND OTHER DRUGS........................................................ 7 LAWS DIRECTEDAT REDUCINGDRINKING UNDER AGE 21 .............................................................................................. 8 IV. THE JUSTICE SYSTEM ........................................................................................................................................ 11 CHALLENGESTO APPREHENDINGYOUTH FOR ALCOHOL-RELATEDOFFENSES ........................................................... i .......... 11 CASE PROCESSING IN THE COURT SYSTEM ................................................................................................................... 12 SAFETYDURING CASE PROCESSING........ i.................................................................................................................... 17 V. DISPOSITIONS AND SENTENCES ..................................................................................................................... 21 "x THE BALANCEDAPPROACH TO SENTENCING.................................................................................................................. 21 PROTECTINGTHE PUBLIC.................................................................................................................................. ........ 21 ACCOUNTABILITYTO THE VICTIMAND COMMUNITY......................................................................................................... 25 PROVIDING EDUCATIONAND ADD ABUSE TREATMENTSERVICES FOR THE OFFENDER..... ...............[ ...... 2............................ 27 ¢. VI. MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT ................................................................................................................ 33 IMPORTANCEOF MONITORING ......... ; .......................................................................................................................... 33 PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN MONITORINGAND OPTIONSTO IMPROVE MONITORING .............................................................. 33 "1 t VII. RECORDING, SHARING, AND USING INFORMATION PERTAINING TO ALCOHOL OFFENSES ~IONG YOUTH ................................................................................ 35 COORDINATED INFORMATIONSYSTEMS ......................................................................................................................... 35 DUI TRACKINGSYSTEMS ........................................................................................................................................... 36 VllI. ADMINISTRATIVE AND COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO UNDERAGE DRINKING AND DUI: THE ROLE OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM ....................................................................... 37 THE COURTAS PART OF A COMPREHENSIVESAFETY SYSTEM .......................................................................................... 37 5 THE RELATIONSHIPBETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATIVECONTROL SYSTEM AND THEJUSTICE SYSTEM ....................................... 39 COMMUNITYINITIATIVES ............................................................................................................................................ 42 • ,- , J" 7' THE RELATIONSHIPBETWEEN JUDGES, PROSECUTORS,AND COMMUNITYORGANIZATIONS .................................................. 45 D " ' ", 7W'" ENVIRONMENTALEFFORTS TO REDUCE UNDERAGEDRI~IKING AND DUI: RESEARCHFINDINGS .......................................... 46 . :4' IX. RECOMMENDATIONSFOR POLICY AND RESEARCH ..................................................................................... 49 POLICYRECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 49 RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................................................... 51 X. REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................................... 53 XI RESOURCES.......................................................................................................................................................