Program Profile: Turning Point Multiple DUI Treatment Program

This was a residential treatment program that targeted individuals who committed multiple driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offenses. The program combined educational components with individualized treatment and therapy to address substance use. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group was statistically significantly less likely than the comparison group to be arrested for any new offense and specifically for a DUI offense, but not for committing an alcohol-related offense.

A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

Program Goals

The Turning Point Multiple DUI Treatment Program was a 28-day, substance-dependence treatment program in Cincinnati, Ohio. The objective of the program was to treat and house those who committed multiple driving-under-the-influence (DUI) offenses. The program included both inpatient and aftercare components, which provided a comprehensive treatment regimen targeting alcohol abuse. The goal of the program was to treat and educate individuals who committed DUI offenses and thereby reduce reoffending. These ends were achieved through diagnosing the substance use problem, establishing an individualized treatment plan, providing clinical services to participants and their family members, providing aftercare services, and supporting abstinence.

Target Population

The Turning Point program was intended for men and women who had committed multiple DUI offenses. Program eligibility criteria included the following: 1) multiple DUI offenses, 2) a minimum of a 45-day jail sentence, 3) a minimal security threat, 4) motivation to seek help and willingness to participate in all program components, and 4) residency in Hamilton County (Ohio). The program was not intended for those who suffer from psychological disorders or other serious medical problems, had a history of violent behavior, or had work-release or weekend sentences.

Services Provided

After serving a jail sentence of at least 30 days, eligible participants were relocated to the facility to begin the inpatient component of the program. The facility that housed the program had 40 beds available. The program combined educational components with individualized treatment and therapy to comprehensively address substance use and interrupt the cycle of offending for program participants. The six inpatient services included assessment and diagnosis, treatment planning, substance-use education, individual and group counseling, family treatment, and Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous (AA/NA) participation. Participants could have visitors, but were not permitted to leave the facility.

Once the program was completed, participants returned to court to receive a reduced sentence. The aftercare component then took place over 6 months and included 26 group meetings and attendance at a minimum of three AA/NA meetings per week.

Study 1

Pratt, Holsinger, and Latessa (2000) used a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the impact of the Turning Point Multiple DUI Treatment Program on recidivism measures at the 10-year follow-up period. The sample comprised the same participants from a previous 1-year (Langworthy and Latessa 1993) and 4-year follow-up evaluation (Langworthy and Latessa 1996). The treatment group (n = 531) consisted of individuals who met the program eligibility criteria and agreed to participate in the Turning Point program; the comparison group (n = 192) consisted of individuals with multiple DUI convictions who were adjudicated at the same time as those in the treatment group, but chose not to participate in the intervention.

Most program participants were male (90 percent) and white (77 percent), followed by African American or other race/ethnicity. The average age was 32.6 years, and most program participants (78 percent) had two to five prior DUI convictions. The average length of stay for Turning Point participants’ current incarceration was 50.7 days. Most of the comparison group (96 percent) was male and white (71 percent), followed by African American or other race/ethnicity. The average age of the comparison group was 40.7 years, and most (91 percent) had two to five prior DUI convictions. The average length of stay for the comparison groups’ current incarceration was 77.1 days. Significant differences were found between groups with respect to sex, age, employment status, number of children, number of prior DUI convictions, and amount of time spent in jail for the current offense. These variables were included in the regression analyses as statistical controls. No significant differences were found for measures of race, education, income, and marital status.

Using administrative data, the researchers examined three recidivism outcomes at the 10-year follow up: arrests for any new offense, arrests for an alcohol-related offense, and arrests for a DUI offense. The regression model controlled for six variables on which the groups were found to differ (listed above), as well as the amount of time spent at risk in the community during the follow-up period.

One limitation of the study was that members of the comparison group may have received other substance-use treatment services during the study period such as hospitalization, intensive supervision, or Alcoholics Anonymous groups. However, information was not collected on the extent to which the comparison group received these other services. Furthermore, the authors did not provide any information regarding program dropouts or non-completers. No subgroup analyses were conducted.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

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