A study of the widening and penetrating effects of a campaign against the folk crime of DUI

The folk crime of driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs (DUI) represents a major category of crime in the United States but has had minimal study and exposure in the scientific literature. That crime is studied in this research in conjunction with a local "deterrence" campaign against DUI. Data were gathered on those convicted of DUI for two 244-day periods in an interrupted time-series analysis. The first eight-month period was prior to a statewide campaign against DUIs. Data from that series were compared with data from a second eight-month data-set while the campaign was in progress, stratified to the same months but in different years. Individuals cited and convicted of DUI by the Sheriff's Department during pre-campaign periods have been compared with those convicted during the campaign along the attributes of age, sex, race, and socio-economic status (SES). The primary statistics used were tests of covariance, mean deviation, and change percent.

There was evidence of a "penetrating" effect, with the same general offender characteristics more in evidence during the presence than during the absence of a campaign. Those characteristics do not closely fit a standard "criminal" profile found most often in mainstream crime literature: young, male, and disproportionately black. Rather, the most often convicted offender during campaigns was also male, but white, and over 25 years old. Blacks who were convicted closely matched their (17.7 %) proportions in the local population, but when controlling for sex, it was found that few black females were convicted. Neither were there proportionate numbers of white females convicted. The age-group most often convicted prior to a campaign was in the 25 - 35 range, but this changed to an over-35 group during the campaign. In turn, 50 percent of those convicted of DUX are estimated to be of lower socio-economic status.

If replication results hold up in other regions, the main implication of the study will be to focus future deterrence efforts toward this "symbolic assailant" type: white, male, and over 25 years of age.