Impaired-driving recidivism among repeat offenders following an intensive court-based intervention

PurposeRepeat impaired-drivers resist successful rehabilitation. This paper describes and evaluates an innovative court-based intervention for repeat impaired-driving offenders, the driving under the influence (DUI) Intensive Supervision Program (DISP) developed in Multnomah County, Oregon.MethodsThe hazard of re-offending was compared between DISP participants (N = 460) and a comparison group (N = 497). The stratified Cox proportional hazards model was used to model the hazard of re-offense, adjusting for matching criteria and stratified by county of residence.ResultsAdjusted hazard of DUI re-offense for DISP participants was 0.52 that of comparison offenders (95% CI = 0.36–0.76). DISP clients also had lower arrest rates for driving while revoked/suspended and for all other traffic offenses.ConclusionPreliminary results suggest the DISP is an effective means of reducing recidivism among repeat impaired-driving offenders.