Evaluation of Reconviction Rates of Drink Drive Offenders

This study analysed the reconviction rates of those referred onto a course for drink driving offenders. It investigated the continued effectiveness of the Northern Ireland Courses for Drink Drive Offenders (CDDO) scheme.

In Northern Ireland between 1 January 2001 and 30 June 2006, 4,637 of those referred
by a magistrate onto the ‘Course for Drink Drive Offenders’ were matched successfully
with conviction data from the Causeway Criminal Record Viewer to enable a
reconviction analysis to be carried out. Of those successfully matched, 1,452 (31%)
completed the course, 69% did not complete a course. The offenders in the database were all convicted before 1 July 2006, providing a minimum period of three years between the initial conviction date for the criterion offence and 30 June 2009 (the cut off period).

Key findings:
• Among offenders who had completed the course, 7.0% were reconvicted of a
subsequent drink drive offence compared to 11.4% who did not complete a course. In other words, the likelihood of reconviction was 1.6 times higher if the offender didn’t complete a course.

• A greater proportion of females (35%) than males (31%) who were referred onto a course for drink drive offenders opted to attend and complete a course.

• Up to two years (24 months) after their original conviction, 1.9% of offenders who
had completed a course had been reconvicted of a subsequent drink/drive offence, compared with 6.2% of those who did not complete a course. This represents a reconviction rate that is 3.3 times higher for offenders who did not complete a course compared with those who did.

• The trend identified in Northen Ireland is broadly comparable to that found in the GB research i.e., that the greatest impact of the course occurs in the first 2 years followed by a levelling off in terms of course effectiveness. TRL, in 2003, highlighted that the impact of the courses appears to be more effective during the driver disqualification period. Whatever the reason, the positive impact noted in the original Northern Ireland research has been reaffirmed in this latest study.