Repeat offenders are a continuing traffic safety problem. The increasing problem of jail overcrowding has created the need to develop alternative punishment programs. No longer does the “lock-em up and throw the key away” approach work.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently examined several alternative programs for repeat impaired driving offenders: an intensive supervised probation program, electronic monitoring program, and Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Devices (BAIID).

Intensive Supervision Probation

This program is a pre-trial intervention program. By participating in the program, offenders are offered, but not guaranteed, the hopes of a reduced jail sentence. The program focuses on the individual’s drinking habits and drinking problems. It provides frequent, regular monitoring with individual assessments of needs and referral to the appropriate treatment providers.

Electronic Monitoring Program

Eligible offenders are sentenced to home confinement enforced by electronic monitoring devices in lieu of active jail sentences. This method allows offenders to leave home for work or school. The offenders are contacted at random several times per day to verify their presence at home. Some offenders are randomly required to provide breath samples to verify that they have not been drinking. Recidivism was significantly lower for participants of this program.

Ignition Interlock Program

BAIID’s are instruments designed to prevent drivers from starting their car when their breath alcohol concentration (BAC) is at or above an alcohol setpoint (usually .025 BAC). In 1992, NHTSA developed model specifications for these devices and most states with interlock programs will only certify devices that meet the NHTSA requirements. Thirty-seven states have passed some sort of legislation authorizing use of these devices with offenders. Five different device manufacturers are marketing their equipment in states where programs have been started. In some jurisdictions, drivers convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI) may be required to use these devices when their licenses are reinstated after a period of hard suspension. In other cases, interlocks are sometimes being added as a condition of probation by the courts.