by Mara Magdich
Daily Lobo
A study conducted by the UNM Center of Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions found that drunk drivers who completed an in-patient treatment program in New Mexico's San Juan County were less likely to be arrested again for DWI.
The study, "Re-arrest Rates After Incarceration for DWI: A Comparative Study in a Southwestern U.S. County," was administered from August 1994 through March 2001, and was conducted by Gill Woodall, director of CASAA and an associate professor in the Communication and Journalism Department.
Other researchers in the study included Denise Wheeler, senior research scientist at CASAA, Ev Rogers, a regents' professor in the C&J Department and Stephen Kunitz, professor emeritus from the of the University of Rochester, New York.
During the six-year period, Woodall and his colleagues collected traffic safety records for all DWI arrests in San Juan County. Of an estimated 6,000 DWI arrests that took place during that period, more than 3,000 offenders took part in the program at the San Juan County DWI Treatment Facility. Offenders were incarcerated after a first time offense in a minimum-security facility.
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The San Juan County DWI Treatment Facility provides minimum security protection over a 28-day jail sentence, offers multi-component treatment programs, such as alcohol abuse, drinking and driving awareness, family issues and alcohol, abuse and dependence, stress management and goal setting.
"Of about 3,000 DWI offenders that took part in the rehabilitation program there was an estimated 20 percent difference in their re-arrest rate over a five year period," Woodall said. "That may not sound like a big difference, but when you compare it to other rehabilitation programs in the country, it's a significantly promising number."
Denise Wheeler, a researcher at CASAA, said that there was about a 40 percent probability that offenders who did not take place in the rehabilitation program were likely to be arrested for DWI again within five-years.
The program is unique in that it is geared to be culturally specific toward the incarcerated population that includes Anglos, Hispanics and American Indians. Sweat lodges and talking circles were included in the treatment components for American Indians.
The study was funded by a grant awarded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and from DWI state funds.
The San Juan County DWI Treatment Facility also has an intense follow-up program. It applies to its participants after discharge, and Woodall acknowledges it as part of the center's success.
"The staff at the facility needs to know where people are going and what they are doing once they are out of the program," Woodall said.
After discharge, the program monitors participants anywhere from three months to a year. People are required to attend weekly monitor meetings as well as Alcohol Anonymous meetings and submit to frequent blood alcohol tests. Vocational education and job referrals are also addressed after offenders are released.
"What's so striking about this program is that San Juan County is incarcerating first-time offenders," said Woodall. "The study shows that the earlier you intervene with someone who has an alcohol problem, the better off that person can be."
