The hypothesis tested in this study is that the shorter the time period between arrest and conviction for a DWI (driving while intoxicated) offence, the less likely the offender is to re-offend for DWI (i.e., the time-to-adjudication/recicfidism hypothesis). The study involves an analysis of the driver license records for all Minnesota drivers involved in a DWI incident within the state during 1995. Recidivism is tracked over a three-year follow up period for each driver. The interval between arrest and conviction for DWI defendants varies considerably by both offender level and judicial district in Minnesota. While there are many reasons for these differences, we hypothesise that adjudication delay contributes to DWI recidivism, which in turn increases the number of alcohol related crashes by repeat DWI offenders. If recidivism is partly a function of delay of adjudication, courts may be able to reduce DWI recidivism by reducing delay. This article discusses preliminary analysis which indicates some patterns of covariance consistent with the hypothesis. Further research and analysis is needed to determine whether or not this relationship is causative.
Abstract