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Alcohol and Crime

Bureau of Justice Statistics

U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Justice Programs

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Alcohol and Crime i

Alcohol and CrimeAn Analysis of National Data on the Prevalence of Alcohol Involvement in Crime

Prepared for the Assistant Attorney General’sNational Symposium on Alcohol Abuse and Crime

April 5-7, 1998Washington, D.C.

By Lawrence A. GreenfeldStatisticianBureau of Justice Statistics

NCJ 168632

U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Justice Programs

U.S. Department of JusticeBureau of Justice Statistics

Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D.Director

This report was written by Lawrence A.Greenfeld, deputy director, Bureau ofJustice Statistics. David Levin providedsubstantial assistance in the preparationand analysis of FARS data from theNational Highway Traffic Safety Admin-istration; he also verified the report’sfindings. Laura Maruschak providedassistance in the analysis of the 1996Survey of Inmates in Local Jails. CherylRingel verified the findings from theNational Crime Victimization Survey.Tom Hester, Priscilla Middleton, RhondaKeith, and Jayne Robinson designed andproduced the report. Maureen Hennebergand Yvonne Boston reviewed the report.Marilyn Marbrook, assisted by Ms.Boston, prepared the report for printing.

Data analyzed for this report can beobtained from the National Archive ofCriminal Justice Data 1-800-999-0690.Related reports, spreadsheets, graphs,and information, as well as the archiveitself, can be accessed at the BJS Inter-net site:

http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/

ii Alcohol and Crime

Foreword

The extensive and far-reachingimpacts of alcohol abuse on crime andpublic safety are only now achievingwidespread public policy attention.This report was prepared to providestatistical information as backgroundfor the Assistant Attorney General’s1998 National Symposium on AlcoholAbuse and Crime, which will addressmany of these policy issues anddiscuss approaches that may helpalleviate these problems.

Based on this compilation and newanalysis of data on alcohol and crime,we know that nearly 4 in 10 violentvictimizations involve use of alcohol,about 4 in 10 fatal motor vehicleaccidents are alcohol-involved; andabout 4 in 10 offenders, regardless ofwhether they are on probation, in localjail, or in State prison, self-report thatthey were using alcohol at the time ofthe offense.

There are, however, a number ofpositive indicators that alcohol-relatedcrime is generally decreasing and thatmost of those in need of treatment arereceiving it. Violence between currentand former spouses, boyfriends, andgirlfriends is especially likely toinvolve alcohol abuse, and all forms ofviolence against intimates, includinghomicide, have been declining inrecent years. In addition, rates ofarrest for DUI have declined by 24%

since 1990. During the last 10 years,the number of highway fatalities attrib-utable to alcohol-related accidents hasdropped by about 7,000 annually, a29% decrease.

This report uses a wide variety ofsources, including statistical seriesmaintained by the Bureau of JusticeStatistics (BJS), the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, the National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration, and theBureau of Transportation Statistics.We are grateful for the cooperation ofthese agencies and also want to thankthe many respondents to our surveysthroughout the country.

We anticipate that more on the issueof alcohol and crime will be availablein the near future as new data collec-tions by BJS, including the 1997Survey of Inmates of State andFederal Correctional Facilities, areanalyzed. BJS has incorporated newquestions into its surveys which willenable a more in-depth understandingof the alcohol use and abusebackgrounds of offenders and thenature of the treatment they receivewhile incarcerated.

Jan M. Chaiken, Ph.D.Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics

Laurie RobinsonAssistant Attorney GeneralOffice of Justice Programs

Alcohol and Crime iii

Highlights

This report provides the most compre-hensive analysis of statistical data onalcohol and crime published to date byBJS.

Sources of information include theBJS National Crime VictimizationSurvey (NCVS), BJS self-reportsurveys of correctional populations,and the periodic BJS censuses ofFederal, State, and local correctionsfacilities. In addition, arrest data fromthe FBI’s Uniform Crime ReportingProgram and the most recent dataavailable from the FBI’s NationalIncident-Based Reporting Program areused to supplement national surveydata.

Finally, the report includes new analy-ses from the National Highway TrafficSafety Administration’s Fatal AccidentReporting System (FARS), a databaseproviding detail on more than 2.1million fatal motor vehicle accidentsthat occurred over the last twodecades. The study provides the first-ever estimates of the level of intoxica-tion among drinking offenders at thetime of the commission of the offensefor which they had been convicted.

The role of alcohol in crimevictimization

c About 3 million violent crimes occureach year in which victims perceivethe offender to have been drinking atthe time of the offense. Among thosevictims who provided informationabout the offender’s use of alcohol,about 35% of the victimizationsinvolved

an offender who had been drinking.About two-thirds of the alcohol-involved crimes were characterized assimple assaults.

c Two-thirds of victims who sufferedviolence by an intimate (a current orformer spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend)reported that alcohol had been afactor. Among spouse victims, 3 outof 4 incidents were reported to haveinvolved an offender who had beendrinking. By contrast, an estimated31% of stranger victimizations wherethe victim could determine theabsence or presence of alcohol wereperceived to be alcohol-related.

c For about 1 in 5 violent victimiza-tions involving perceived alcohol useby the offender, victims also reportedthey believed the offender to havebeen using drugs as well.

c Data for 1995 from the NationalIncident-Based Reporting System(NIBRS) of the FBI indicate that abouthalf the incidents described by theinvestigating officer as alcohol-relatedwere between offenders and victimswho were intimates.

c NIBRS data show that about 7 out of 10 alcohol-involved incidents ofviolence occurred in a residence; thehour beginning at 11 p.m. was themost frequent time of occurrence; andabout 2 in 10 incidents involved theuse of a weapon other than hands,fists, or feet.

Alcohol and Crime v

DUI/DWI: Arrests and fatalaccidents

c In 1996, local law enforcementagencies nationwide made anestimated 1,467,300 arrests for drivingunder the influence (DUI). Arrests forDUI peaked in 1983 when there were1.9 million arrests. Compared to1983, the per capita rate of arrest forDUI in 1996 was 34% lower.

c Declines in DUI arrest rates haveoccurred for every age group. Ofparticular note is the decrease in DUIarrest rates for those under the age of21 compared to their rates of DUIarrest in the early 1980's when Stateshad not adopted a uniform drinkingage. In 1980 persons between 16 and 20 years old accounted for 10% of licensed drivers but 15% of DUIarrestees. In 1996, this age groupaccounted for 7% of drivers and 8% of DUI arrestees.

c In 1996 there were 17,126 alcohol-related traffic fatalitiesaccounting for40.9% of all traffic fatalities during theyear. This is a 29% reduction fromthe more than 24,000 fatalitiesrecorded 10 years earlier when alcoholwas involved in 52% of the fatalities.

c An estimated 32% of fatal accidentsinvolved an intoxicated driver orpedestrian (the majority are drivers,however) with a blood alcohol concen-tration, or BAC, of at least 0.10 grams of alcohol per deciliter of blood, themost commonly used definition ofintoxication.

c Over the last decade rates of intoxi-cation in fatal accidents have declinedacross every age group. In 1986,

there was about 1 driver involved in afatal accident in which he/she wasintoxicated for every 10,500 drivers; in1996, the rate translates into about 1intoxicated driver in a fatal accidentfor every 17,200 licensed drivers. c Among drinking drivers whose BACat the time of the accident was known,84% had a BAC of at least 0.08 g/dland 78% had a BAC of 0.10 g/dl orhigher.

cThe average BAC among drinkingdrivers in fatal accidents was 0.16g/dl. There was a strong relationshipbetween average BAC among drinkingdrivers in fatal accidents and priordriving record & consistently, thosewith prior suspensions, invalidlicenses, and prior driving while intoxi-cated (DWI) convictions reflected thehighest BAC’s at the time of the crash.Among drivers in fatal accidents whohad at least two prior DWI convictions,the average BAC was 0.21 g/dl, thehighest of any group.

Use of alcohol by convictedoffenders

c Among the 5.3 million convictedoffenders under the jurisdiction ofcorrections agencies in 1996, nearly 2million, or about 36%, were estimatedto have been drinking at the time ofthe offense. The vast majority, about1.5 million, of these alcohol-involvedoffenders were sentenced to supervi-sion in the community: 1.3 million onprobation and more than 200,000 onparole.

c There was some variation in thepercentage of offenders who had beenusing alcohol at the time of the

vi Alcohol and Crime Revised 04/28/98 th

40% of both jail inmates and proba-tioners, 32% of State prisoners, and29% of parolees.

c Alcohol use at the time of theoffense was commonly found amongthose convicted of public-ordercrimes, a type of offense most highlyrepresented among those on probationand in jail. Among violent offenders,41% of probationers, 41% of those inlocal jails, 38% of those in Stateprisons, and 20% of those in Federalprisons were estimated to have beendrinking when they committed thecrime.

cBased upon self-reports of whatoffenders were drinking and for how

long, it is estimated that the averageBAC level at the time of the crimewas:

Proba- Jail Statetioners inmates prisoners

All offenders .16 .19 .27Violent .18 .20 .28Property .24 .22 .30Drugs .14 .15 .19Public-order* .14 .19 .23

*Includes offenses like driving while intoxicated,weapons offenses, and commercial vice.

c An estimated 62% of probationersdrinking at the time of the offense and& among daily drinkers & 65% ofconvicted jail inmates and less than50% of State prisoners reported everparticipating in an alcohol treatmentprogram.

Alcohol and Crime vii

Alcohol and health issues

y An analysis of alcohol dependenceamong trauma center patients foundthat the prevalence of alcoholism wassubstantially higher among vehicularcrash victims and other traumapatients than among the equivalentgeneral population group. More thanhalf of trauma patients with a positive

BAC at the time of the trauma werediagnosed as alcoholics, and nearly 1 in 7 patients who were not drinkingat the time of the trauma werediagnosed as alcohol-dependent.

Source: "Alcoholism at the Time of InjuryAmong Trauma Center Patients: Vehicu-lar Crash Victims Compared with OtherPatients,# Accident Analysis and Preven-tion, Vol. 29, No. 6, 1997.

y Death rates from alcohol-induced causes have declined especially sharply among black males and females, but the rates among blacks are twice those among whites.

Rates per 100,000 persons, adjusted for age Whites Blacks

Year All groups Males Females Males Females1980 8.4 10.8 3.5 32.4 10.61985 7.0 9.2 2.8 27.7 8.01990 7.2 9.9 2.8 26.6 7.71992 6.8 9.9 2.6 22.3 6.31993 6.7 9.7 2.7 21.3 5.51994 6.8 9.9 2.7 20.4 5.6

Percent change1980-94 -19.0% -8.3% -22.9% -37.0% -47.2% Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Monthly Vital Statistics Reports.

Sources of data on alcohol and crime

National Crime Victimization Survey

The National Crime Victimization Survey(NCVS) is one of two statistical seriesmaintained by the Department of Justiceto learn about the extent to which crime isoccurring. The NCVS, which gathersdata on criminal victimization from anational sample of household respon-dents, provides annual estimates ofcrimes experienced by the public withoutregard to whether a law enforcementagency was called about the crime. Initi-ated in 1972, the NCVS was designed tocomplement what is known about crimesreported to local law enforcementagencies under the FBI's annual compila-tion known as the Uniform Crime Report-ing Program (UCR).

The NCVS gathers information aboutcrime and its consequences from anationally representative sample of U.S.residents age 12 or older about anycrimes they may have experienced. Forpersonal contact crimes the survey deter-mines who the perpetrator was.

In the latter half of the 1980's, the Bureauof Justice Statistics (BJS), together withthe Committee on Law and Justice of theAmerican Statistical Association, soughtto improve the NCVS components toenhance the measurement of crimesincluding rape, sexual assault, andintimate and family violence. The newquestions and revised procedures werephased in from January 1992 throughJune 1993 in half the sampled house-holds. Since July 1993 the redesignedmethods have been used for the entire

national sample. The NCVS asks victimsof violence directly about their percep-tions of alcohol and drug use by theoffender.

Uniform Crime Reporting Program

The Uniform Crime Reporting Program(UCR) of the FBI provides another oppor-tunity to examine the issue of alcohol-involved arrests. The summary-basedcomponent of the UCR, launched 70years ago, gathers aggregate data oneight categories of crime from lawenforcement agencies nationwide. Whilethe summary UCR does provide detailedinformation on those arrested for drivingwhile under the influence, it does notprovide any information necessary toidentify violent crimes or arrests involvingalcohol. Such data are available,however, from the incident-based compo-nent of the UCR, the National Incident-Based Reporting Program (NIBRS).

National Incident-Based ReportingProgram

NIBRS represents the next generation ofcrime data from law enforcementagencies. Rather than being restricted toa group of 8 Index crimes that thesummary-based program uses, NIBRSobtains information on 57 types of crimes.The information collected on each violentcrime incident includes victim-offenderdemographics, victim-offender relation-ship, time and place of occurrence,weapon use, and victim injuries. Animportant contribution of NIBRS is thatinvestigating officers are asked to recordtheir perception of whether alcohol was afactor in the incident. As of the end of1997, jurisdictions certified by the FBI as

viii Alcohol and Crime

capable of reporting incident-baseddata in the required format account forjust over 7% of the U.S. population(about 19 million Americans) and justover 6% of all Index crimes (murders,rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults,burglaries, larcenies, and motorvehicle thefts).

In those States with certified NIBRSsystems, about 50% of the populationis now covered by NIBRS reporting tothe FBI. BJS is currently fundingpreliminary studies of NIBRS data andtheir utility for improving our knowl-edge of violence with special regardfor such concerns as intimateviolence, family violence, and domes-tic violence and the role alcohol mayplay in these kinds of police-reportedincidents.

Surveys of probationers, jail andprison inmates

BJS also conducts national surveys ofpersons under probation supervisionand those confined in local jails andState and Federal prisons. Thesenationally representative surveys arethe principal source of information onthose serving time following a convic-tion: their backgrounds, their priorcriminal histories, and the circum-stances surrounding the offense forwhich they had been incarcerated.

Both jail and prison surveys obtainfrom violent offenders details aboutthe offender's relationship to thevictim and how the crime was carriedout. All three surveys incorporatedetailed questions regarding alcoholuse and abuse both before the crime

and at the time the crime was commit-ted. In addition, a number ofquestions are devoted to treatmentand the types of treatments received.

Censuses of prisons and jails

BJS carries out facility-level datacollection among each of the 1,500State and Federal prisons and the3,300 local jails. These statisticalseries gather detailed information onthe operations of each facility, includ-ing capacity, staffing, programs, courtorders, and special functions orservices provided to inmates. Facili-ties are queried about their treatmentprograms and the extent of inmateparticipation.

Fatal Accident Reporting System

Since 1975, the National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration of theU.S. Department of Transportationhas maintained the annual FatalAccident Reporting System (FARS)which obtains accident-level data oneach motor vehicle crash involving afatality. FARS uses State agenciesunder contract to complete a standard-ized form on each fatal accident whichcovers weather and road conditions,vehicle type, number of passengersand fatalities, the manner of the crash,whether there was a drinking or drug-using driver involved, and specificmeasurement of blood alcoholconcentration or BAC (grams ofalcohol per deciliter of blood).

Alcohol and Crime ix

Contents

Foreword iii

Highlights v

Sources of data on alcohol and crime viii Measuring the extent to whichalcohol is involved in crime 1

Victims perceptions of alcoholuse by offenders

Incident-based data on alcoholand violent crime

DUI/DWI: Arrests and fatal accidents 11

Examining BAC factors

Use of alcohol by convicted offenders 20

Offenders on probation and alcohol use

Local jail inmates andalcohol use

Inmates in State prisons andalcohol use

Appendix I: Formula for calculating BAC 32

Appendix II: Liquor law violations on college campuses 33

Datapoints for the graphics 34

Alcohol and Crime xi

Measuring the extent to whichalcohol is involved in crime

Estimates from the National CrimeVictimization Survey indicate thatvictims of about 3 million violentcrimes each year, or about a quarterof all violent crimes, perceived theoffenders to have been drinking.Among victims of violence who werecertain that they could tell whether ornot an offender had been drinking,about 35% of the violent victimizationswere believed to have involved anassailant who had been drinking.

Household surveys reveal that alcoholuse is common among most U.S.residents. An estimated 8 in 10persons aged 12 or older has usedalcohol at some time in their lives andhalf describe themselves as currentusers. Prevalence of use, however, isage-sensitive since all States have,since 1983, revised the legal age to auniform 21 years old.

Alcohol use1 Age Ever Current 12 or older 82% 52%

12-17 41 2118-25 84 6126-34 90 6335 or older 87 53

About 1 in 18 persons age 18 or olderdescribe themselves as consumingtwo or more drinks per day2 but

national estimates of annual per capitaconsumption of alcoholic beverageshave dropped about 10% since 1990.Even with this decline, aggregateconsumption translates into about onedrink per day for every resident.

Per capita annualconsumption of alcohol3

1990 1995 Total (gallons) 40.0 gal. 35.9 gal.Beer 34.9 31.6Wine 2.9 2.6Spirits 2.2 1.8

In 1995 the Substance Abuse andMental Health Services Administrationconducted a survey of all known facili-ties providing alcoholism treatment inthe United States. The surveyrevealed that there were nearly800,000 clients receiving services whowere considered to have an alcoholproblem. Almost certainly the numberof clients participating in suchprograms would represent a substan-tial underestimate of the size of thetotal population for whom alcoholabuse is a significant problem.

A variety of ways exist to estimate theextent to which alcohol may be afactor in crime. A significant caveat isthat most alcohol consumption doesnot result in crime: the vast majority ofthose who consume alcohol do notengage in criminal behavior.However, since nonoffending behavioris not typically measured, there is littlestatistical information upon which tobase any estimate of the likelihood ofcommitting a criminal act when

Alcohol and Crime 1

1U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental HealthServices Administration, National House-hold Survey on Drug Abuse, annual. Dataobtained from Statistical Abstract of theUnited States 1997, table 220, p. 144.2National Center for Health Statistics,Health Promotion and Disease Prevention:United States, 1990, Vital and HealthStatistics, Series 10, No. 185.

3U.S. Department of Agriculture,Economic Research Service, FoodConsumption, Prices, and Expenditures,1997: Annual Data, 1970-95.

drinking or following a period of drinking.

In 1993 the National Research Council'sPanel on the Understanding and Controlof Violent Behavior (Albert J. Reiss andJeffrey A. Roth, editors, Understandingand Preventing Violence, Washington,D.C.: National Academy Press, 1993,pages 184-5) concluded, after anexhaustive review of the literature thatexisting prevalence research was not$sufficient to show that alcohol use orintoxication increases the general risk ofviolence.# However, the panel didobserve that many studies haddocumented offender use of alcoholpreceding the offense and that offenderpopulations usually were found tocontain $heavy# or $problem# drinkers.

Victims’ perceptions of alcohol useby offenders

On average each year from 1992 to1995, there were an estimated 11.1million violent victimizations of residentsage 12 or older (figure 1). Victims ofviolence were asked to describe whetherthey perceived the offender to havebeen drinking or using drugs.

y Victims indicate that for about 7.7million violent victimizations, about 70%of all violent victimizations, they are ableto distinguish whether or not alcohol ordrug use by the offender was a factor.

yIn about 30% of violent victimizations,the victim does not know whether theoffender had been using drugs oralcohol.

2 Alcohol and Crime

NearlyVictims of violence 11.1 million

Victim could not tellif offender wasusing drugs/alcohol3.4 million victims

Victim did not believeoffender to beusing drugs/alcohol4.3 million victims

Offender using

Offenderperceived to beusing drugs/alcohol3.4 million victims

Alcohol only 2.2 millionDrugs only 0.6 millionBoth drugs and alcohol 0.5 millionUnknown substance 0.1 million

An annual average of nearly 3 million victims a year perceived the use of alcohol by the violent offenders who victimized them, 1992-95

Figure 1

y Based on victim perceptions, about2.7 million violent crimes occur eachyear in which victims are certain thatthe offender had been drinking. Forabout 1 in 5 of these violent victimiza-tions involving alcohol use by theoffender, victims believed the offenderwas also using drugs at the time of theoffense (figure 2).

y For those violent victimiza-tions in which the victimsindicated that they were able toreport whether alcohol or drugshad been used by the offender,about 56% reported no use ofeither substance and 37%believed the offender was usingalcohol or alcohol in combina-tion with drugs (figure 3).

y Among victims who were ableto distinguish alcohol or druguse by the offender, the victim-offender relationship was animportant factor in whether thevictim reported alcoholinvolvement:

Percent of violentvictimizations withoffender usingalcohol

All victims 37%Intimate* 67Nonmarital relatives 50Acquaintances 38Strangers 31

*Includes current or former spouse,boyfriend, and girlfriend.

Alcohol and Crime 3

Don't know

No drugs or alcohol

Drugs only

Alcohol or drugs

Alcohol and drugs

Alcohol only

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%Percent of victimsof violent crime

Among the 11.1 million victims of violence each year, 1 in 4 were certainthat the offender had been drinking before committing the crime.

*Includes current or former spouse, boyfriend, and girlfriend.

637624100Stranger5210928100Acquaintance36121438100Nonmarital relative2512955100Intimate*56%9%7%28%100%All victims of violence

Neither drugsnor alcohol

Drugs oralcoholDrugsAlcoholTotal

Victim-offenderrelationship

Offender using

Among victims of violence who were able to describe the offender’s useof drugs or alcohol, about two-thirds in an intimate relationship with theoffender reported the offender’s drinking at the time of the crime.

Figure 3

Figure 2

y Among spouse victims of violence whowere able to describe substance use bythe offender, 3 out of 4 incidents werereported to have involved an offenderwho had been drinking.

Percent of spouseviolence victimizationsinvolving substanceuse

Alcohol only 65%Drugs only 5Both alcohol and drugs 11Either alcohol or drugs <1Neither alcohol nor drugs 19

y Victim perceptions of the offender’suse of drugs or alcohol also varies bytype of crime (figure 4).

Based on victim reports, on averageeach year about 183,000 rapes andsexual assaults involve alcohol use bythe offender, as do just over 197,000robberies, about 661,000 aggravatedassaults, and nearly 1.7 million simpleassaults.

Combined use of drugs and alcoholaccounted for 18% of the alcohol-involved rapes and sexual assaults, 36%of the alcohol-involved robberies, 24% ofthe aggravated assaults in which theoffender was drinking, and 15% of thesimple assaults involving a drinkingoffender.

4 Alcohol and Crime

Simpleassault6,882,400incidents

Rape/sexualassault497,000incidents

Aggravatedassault2,427,900incidents

Robbery1,287,900incidents

Average annual numberof violent victimizations 11.1 million

Offenderwas using

Alcohol 30%Drugs 4%Drugs and alcohol 7%Drugs or alcohol 2%Neither 24%Unknown 34%




Drinking offenders committed over a third of the rapes or sexualassaults of persons older than 12 and over a quarter of the aggravated and simple assaults, according to victims’ perceptions.

Figure 4

y When the victim of violenceperceived that the offender was usingonly alcohol at the time of the offense,nearly two-thirds of the victimizationswere reported to have been simpleassault (figure 5). Robbery accountedfor about 6% of the violent victimiza-tions involving a drinking offender but19% of the incidents where theoffender was perceived to have beenusing drugs.

y Victim perceptions of offender use of alcohol translate into an estimated457,000 alcohol-involved violentvictimizations between victims andoffenders who share an intimate relationship. Drinking offenders werealso responsible for about 118,000incidents of violence between familymembers (excluding spouses), anestimated 744,000 violent incidentsbetween acquaintances, and about1,360,000 incidents of violencecommitted against a stranger (figure 6).

Alcohol and Crime 5

56525265Simple assault24292523Aggravated assault1813196Robbery3647Rape/sexual assault

100%100%100%100%Total

Neitherdrugs noralcohol

Drugs oralcoholDrugsAlcohol

Victim-offenderrelationship

Offender using

Nearly two-thirds of the victims of violence who perceived that theoffender committed the offense while using only alcohol were victims of simple assault.

Figure 5

Drinking, intimate violence, and race

On average, there are about 1million incidents of violence eachyear in which women are the victimsofan intimate assailant & a current orformer spouse, boyfriend, orgirlfriend. Among the women whoknew whether the offender had beendrinking or using drugs, about

two-thirds of both black and whitevictims reported that the offenderwith whom they shared an intimaterelationship had been drinking.

272122Neither412Either

121011Both798Drugs only

50%58%57%Alcohol onlyBlackWhiteAllOffender using

Percent of femalevictims of intimateviolence

6 Alcohol and Crime

Casual orwell-knownacquaintance3,590,300incidents

Current orformer spouse,boyfriend, orgirlfriend1,143,400incidents

Parent, ownchild, otherrelated481,800incidents

Stranger5,516,800incidents

Offender was to the victim

Alcohol 19%Drugs 7%Drugs and alcohol 6%Drugs or alcohol <1%Neither 18%Unknown 50%

Alcohol 16%Drugs 5%Drugs and alcohol 5%Drugs or alcohol <1%Neither 29%Unknown 44%


Note: Figure excludes details on 362,900 incidents for which victims did not report theirrelationship to the offender or could not estimate the number of offenders involved.


Average annual numberof violent victimizations 11.1 million

Offenderwas using

Alcohol was part of about 40% of the violent victimizations of a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend. About 20% to 25% of victimswho were strangers, acquaintances, or nonin timate relatives to theviolent offender reported that person to have been drinking.

Figure 6

Figure 7

$15,500,000$390Other causes$45,300,000$619Injury

Lost pay from &&$26,100,000$308Replacement$33,900,000$218Repair$50,000,000$500Loss

Property$8,200,000$136Cash loss

$229,000,000$1,490Medical ex penses

$408,100,000$834TotalEstimated total annual lossAverage loss per victimType of expense/loss

About 1 in 5 victims of violence who perceived the offender to havebeen using alcohol at the time of the offense, a half million victims each year, suffered a financial loss due to medical expenses, broken or stolen property, or lost wages && a total annual loss of $400 million.

Alcohol and Crime 7

Beginning in 1995, BJS modified itsvictimization survey to determine if asampled household is on a collegecampus and if any householdmembers are college students. Withthis more precise information, it hasbecome possible to learn more aboutthe victimization experience ofcollege students, both those who liveon campus and those who live offcampus.

College students reported about463,000 violent victimizations in 1995in which alcohol use by the offenderwas a factor. An estimated 22% ofthe alcohol-involved incidents wereperceived to have also involvedoffender drug use. An estimated 90%of the alcohol-involved violent victimi-zations affecting college studentsoccurred off campus.

y Among the 15.4 million collegestudents in 1995, about 1.5 millionexperienced a violent crime.

y

About 87% of the violent crimessustained by college studentsoccurred off campus.

y Overall, about 24% of the victims of violence reported the offender was using alcohol at the time of theoffense; about 4% described offenderdrug use; and about 8% said that theoffender was using both drugs andalcohol or that they could not tellwhich.

y Just over 43% of the victims ofviolence were certain no drugs oralcohol had been involved in theoffense.

y Just over 20% did not know whetherthe offender was using either drugs or alcohol.

y Per capita arrest rates for liquor lawviolations are highest at public 4-yearcolleges. See Appendix II, page 33.

U.S. college studentsnumber nationwide 15.4 million

Living on campus2.2 million

Living off campus13.2 million

Victims of violence194,000

Victims of violence1.3 million

On campus59,000

Off campus135,000

On campus136,000

Off campus1,179,000

Alcoholinvolved41%

Alcoholinvolved37%

Alcoholinvolved18%

Alcoholinvolved31%

Violence occurred Violence occurred

Alcohol and crime on U.S. campuses

Figure 8

Incident-based data on alcohol and violent crime

The National Incident-Based ReportingSystem (NIBRS) represents the nextgeneration of crime data from lawenforcement agencies. It is designed toreplace the nearly 70-year-old summaryUniform Crime Reporting Program of theFBI that compiles aggregate data oneight crimes. NIBRS utilizes informationfrom individual crime reports recordedby police officers at the time of theincident. Rather than relying upon agroup of 8 Index offenses to convey the overallcrime situation, NIBRS collects informa-tion on 57 types of crimes.

In addition, NIBRS provides the opportu-nity to analyze a wide array of contingen-cies of crime: who the victim was, therelationship of the victim to the offender,age of both victim and offender, whereand when the incident occurred, whetheralcohol may have been involved in theoffense, and the consequences of thecrime such as injuries and property loss.

A significant benefit of NIBRS is that thereport of the incident asks the investigat-ing officer to indicate suspected alcoholuse by the offender.

Incident-based data on alcohol-involvedviolence, from jurisdictions whichmaintained such records of crime in1995, provide details on such violencenot available from most law enforce-ment agencies:4

y About half of the incidents of alcohol-related violence recorded in the NIBRS1995 dataset involved offenders andvictims who were intimates & current orformer spouses, boyfriends or girlfriends(figure 9).

8 Alcohol and Crime

Source: FBI, National Incident-Based Reporting System, 1995.

0% 10% 20% 30%

Percent of violent incidents involving alcohol

Victim-offender relationship

Spouses/ex-spouses

Acquaintances

Boyfriends/girlfriends

Strangers

Other family members

About half of all violent incidents in which alcohol was present and for which the police completed an incident report in 1995 involved victims and offenders in an intimate relationship, including current and former spouses, boyfriends, and girlfriends.

4Data for 1995 were obtained from lawenforcement agencies in nine States. Theviolent offenses utilized in this analysisincluded murder and nonnegligentmanslaughter, aggravated assault, simpleassault, and intimidation. Coverage forthese data is estimated to be about 2% ofmurders in the United States, 4% ofreported aggravated assaults, and anunknown percentage of simple assault andintimidation offenses.

Figure 9

y In just over 6% of the incidents ofalcohol-related violence, victims werechildren under the age of 18 (figure10). About 9% of the offenders whowere suspected of having been drink-ing in violent incidents were under thelegal drinking age of 21.

y About 7 out of 10 alcohol-involvedviolent incidents occurred in aresidence; 1 in 10 occurred in a bar or restaurant.

y The largest number of violentincidents involving alcohol use by theoffender were found to occur in thehour beginning at 11 p.m.; the fewestincidents occurred at 9 a.m. (figure11).

Alcohol and Crime 9

Source: FBI, National Incident-BasedReporting System, 1995.

5.98.650 or older14.316.240-4934.637.930-3917.618.025-2914.110.621-247.26.218-203.82.215-172.5%0.3%14 or younger

VictimsOffendersAge

Percent in violentincidents

In those violent incidentsrecorded by the police in whichalcohol was a factor, about 9% of the offenders and nearly 14% of the victims were under age 21.


Midnight 4 a.m. 8 a.m. Noon 4 p.m. 8 p.m. Midnight0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

Percent of an entire day's violentincidents involving alcohol

Violent incidents occurring between 11 p.m. and midnight are the most likely to involve alcohol.

Figure 10

Figure 11

y Nearly 80% of violent incidents inwhich the offender had been drinkinginvolved the use of hands, fists, or feetby the offender (figure 12).

Firearms were involved in about 4% ofthe alcohol-related violent incidents.

10 Alcohol and Crime


0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Hands, feet, or fists Knives

Bluntobjects

Otherweapons

Firearms

Percent of alcohol-related violent incidents

About 1 in 5 alcohol-related incidents involved a weapon other than theoffender’s hands, feet, or fists. Firearms were involved in about 1 in 25 violent incidents in which alcohol was considered to be a factor .

Figure 13


554551Minor injury232Other major injuries

111Internal injuries, teeth knockedout, knocked unconscious

4106Severe lacerations121Broken bones71610Major injury

62%61%61%Injury38%39%39%Uninjured

FemaleMaleAll

Percent of victims

About 6 in 10 incidents of alcohol-related violence brought to the attention of the police resulted in an injury to the victim.

Male and female victims of such violence were about equally likely to haveexperienced an injury, according to police incident records. Male victims were about twice as likely as the females to have sustained a major injury, largelybecause of the higher level of reported severe lacerations.

Figure 12

DUI/DWI: Arrests and fatalaccidents

Driving while under the influence ofalcohol (DUI), which also includesdriving while under the influence ofdrugs and driving while intoxicated(DWI) represent the most commonreasons for arrests by the police. In1996 DUI accounted for 1 in 10 arrestsfor all crimes nationwide, an estimated1,467,300 arrests. That same year,an estimated 10,000 intoxicateddrivers were involved in fatal motorvehicle accidents resulting in about13,400 deaths.5

y The number of DUI arrests has been declining:

& In 1983, the highest recorded yearfor DUI arrests in the last 30years, local law enforcementagencies reported 1,921,100arrests for DUI from a popula-tion of 154.4 million licenseddrivers, about 1 arrest forevery 80 licensed drivers.

& In 1996 there were 1,467,300arrests for DUI (includingpersons under age 16) with a licensed driver populationnumbering 179.5 million, a rate of 1 arrest for every 122 licensed drivers.

This represents a 34% reduction in theper capita rate of DUI arrest nation-wide over the period.

Alcohol and Crime 11

Figure 14

5The National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration defines intoxicated driversas those with a blood alcohol concentra-tion (BAC) of 0.10 grams of alcohol perdeciliter of blood or higher, the legalmeasure of intoxication in most States.

Compared to their share oflicensed drivers, DUI arrestees are overrepresented at each agefrom 18 through 44.

Persons under the legal drinking ageof 21 account for about 8% of DUIarrestees. About 7% of licenseddrivers are between the ages 21 and 24, but this age group accounts for nearly 15% of DUI arrests. Bycontrast, those age 50 or olderaccount for a third of all drivers but 9% of DUI arrestees.

Sources: Department of Transportation,Highway Statistics, 1996 and FBI, Crime in theU.S., 1996.

Total number 179,500,000 1,466,300

9.032.850 or older7.39.745-49

11.110.940-4415.711.735-3917.311.130-3417.210.225-293.71.8243.61.7233.61.7223.61.6212.61.6202.41.6191.81.418 .81.317.3% .9%16

DUIarrestees

LicenseddriversAge

Percent

y Declines in DUI arrest rates haveoccurred for every category of age(figure 15). The age group with thehighest per capita rate of arrest for DUI,21-year-olds, had a rate of 1 arrest forevery 42 drivers in 1990 which droppedto 1 arrest for every 56 drivers in 1996 &a 24% decrease.

y The largest decrease in DUI arrestrates since 1990 has occurred amongthose age 25 to 29 (-31%) while arrestrates have declined less than 10%among persons age 16 and betweenages 35 and 44.

y From the early to mid-1970's, Stateslowered the minimum age for thepurchase or sale of alcoholic beverages.Between 1970 and 1973, 24

States reduced the minimum age, andby 1983, the peak year for DUI arrests,33 States had a minimum age below 21.6

y As a result of changes in Federalhighway funds legislation, all Statesraised the minimum age to 21. In 1980persons under age 21 accounted for 10%of licensed drivers but 15% of thosearrested for DUI, a 50% overrepresenta-tion for drivers of this age. By contrast,in 1996, persons under age 21accounted for 7% of drivers and 8% ofarrestees for DUI, a substantiallyreduced disparity compared to 1980.


The number of arrests for DUI per 1,000 licensed drivers dropped 24% from 1990 to 1996.

The decline in arrest rates occurred for every age category, with the drivers ages 25 to 29 having the largest percentage decrease.

-18.52.22.750 or older-14.16.17.145-49-6.78.38.940-44-7.611.011.935-39

-21.112.716.130-34-31.013.820.025-29-20.916.320.624-23.516.922.123-25.117.323.122-24.418.023.821-28.613.218.520-26.512.517.019-24.810.614.118

-19.75.36.617-8.63.23.516

-24.1%8.210.8All ages19961990Age

Percent changein rates of DUIarrests, 1990-96

DUI arrest rateper 1,000 drivers

6This change primarily reflected ratificationof the 26th amendment (1971) thatextended the right to vote to 18 year-olds.

Figure 15

y The National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHTSA) of the U.S.Department of Transportationestimates that in 1996, there were17,126 alcohol-related fatalitiesaccounting for 40.9% of all trafficfatalities during the year.7 This repre-sents a 29% reduction from the 24,045alcohol-related fatalities in 1986, ayear in which alcohol-related crashesaccounted for 52% of the fatalities.NHTSA also estimates that during1996 about 7% of all crashes (bothfatal and nonfatal) were alcohol-related and more than 321,000persons were injured in such crashes. y While nearly 41% of traffic fatalitiesin 1996 were alcohol-related, anestimated 32% involved an intoxicateddriver or pedestrian (BAC=0.10 g/dl orhigher) & a total of 13,395 fatalities.Among these fatalities, about 70%were themselves intoxicated. In 1996local law enforcement authoritiescarried out 140 arrests for DUI perintoxicated driver involved in a fatalcrash.

y Rates of intoxication among driversin fatal accidents have declined forevery age group over the last decade.In 1986 an estimated 26% of drivershad a BAC of at least 0.10 g/dl whilein 1996 about 19% were estimated tohave had a BAC at this level.

Comparing 1986 to 1996 by age, thepercentage of drivers in fatalaccidents who were intoxicated:

Percent of drivers in fatal accidents who were intoxicated

Age 1986 1996 All drivers 25.8% 18.8%16-20 years 23.7 14.121-24 36.1 27.025-34 33.0 26.235-44 24.5 21.945-64 16.2 13.665 or older 6.8 5.4

y In 1986 there were about 1 intoxi-cated driver in a fatal accident forevery 10,500 licensed drivers. By1996, this rate had improved to 1intoxicated driver involved in a fatalaccident for every 17,200 licenseddrivers. Rates of involvement indriving while intoxicated in fatalaccidents (the number of intoxicateddrivers in fatal accidents per 100,000licensed drivers) have decreasedacross each age group over the lastdecade:

Number ofintoxicated driversin fatal accidentsper 100,000licensed drivers Change 1986 1996 in rate

All drivers 9.5 5.8 -39%16-20 years 18.6 9.1 -5121-24 22.3 13.5 -3925-34 13.3 8.8 -3435-44 7.1 5.9 -1745-64 3.7 3.0 -1965 or older 1.7 1.4 -18

y Alcohol involvement in fatalaccidents during 1996 varied acrossthe States ranging from 24% of thetraffic fatalities in Utah to more thanhalf the fatalities in Alaska, Louisiana,Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota,Texas, and Washington (figure 16).


7NHTSA defines alcohol-related as anyfatal traffic crash in which a driver orpedestrian had a measureable non-zeroBAC (0.01 g/dl or higher). Intoxication isdefined as 0.10 g/dl or higher.


Source: Alcohol Traffic Safety Facts 1996, National Highway TrafficSafety Administration.

26.240.6143Wyoming33.141.6811Mississippi34.242.4761Wisconsin30.037.9576Minnesota31.638.0345West Virginia31.640.71,505Michigan40.150.0712Washington32.044.4417Massachusetts30.238.6875Virginia24.033.0608Maryland36.943.988Vermont29.037.5169Maine18.723.7321Utah39.651.4781Louisiana42.353.23,741Texas28.135.2841Kentucky32.840.21,239Tennessee30.040.9491Kansas31.139.9175South Dakota33.042.5465Iowa33.642.4930South Carolina27.034.1984Indiana36.248.469Rhode Island36.145.01,477Illinois32.339.11,469Pennsylvania26.033.8258Idaho32.642.2524Oregon31.544.4148Hawaii28.236.3772Oklahoma27.636.01,574Georgia25.633.01,395Ohio29.136.92,753Florida

44.953.485North Dakota36.049.262

District of Columbia

27.835.11,493North Carolina28.541.0116Delaware24.033.41,564New York38.249.2310Connecticut42.050.1481New Mexico33.039.6617Colorado25.434.2818New Jersey30.140.23,989California

26.434.7134New Hampshire26.934.7615Arkansas

37.350.1348Nevada34.843.9993Arizona26.033.6293Nebraska44.451.180Alaska33.037.1200Montana34.142.61,143Alabama38.7%49.4%1,149Missouri32.0%40.9%41,907 U.S. total

Drivers had a BAC 0.10 orhigher

In-volved alcohol

Number of fatalities

Drivers had a BAC 0.10 orhigher

In-volved alcohol

Number of fatalities

Percent offatalities

Percent offatalities

Figure 16

Examining BAC factors

Knowledge of the level of intoxicationof drivers in fatal accidents is derivedfrom the Fatal Accident ReportingSystem (FARS) which gathers data ona wide variety of issues relating tofatal accidents, including driver,vehicle, and environmental factorsassociated with the crash. Initiated in1975 by the National Highway TrafficSafety Administration, data on fatalvehicle accidents are compiled byState officials from police reports, filesof State vehicle registration anddrivers’ licenses, death certificates,hospital records, and other sourcesand submitted under the FARS report-ing program. Crashes occurring onpublic roads in which a vehiclepassenger or nonpassenger (such as apedestrian or cyclist) dies within 30days are included.

BAC levels of drivers or pedestrians in fatal accidents may be measured in a variety of ways using testingmethods which examine samples ofblood, breath, urine, saliva, or otheranalyses of body tissue. Given thatBAC declines over time (BAC levelsdecrease by about 0.015 g/dl perhour), measured BAC levels amongsurviving drivers in fatal accidentswould be somewhat less than theactual BAC at the time of the crash.8

y FARS data on BAC for crashesoccurring in 1994 indicate that suchinformation is available for a third offatal accidents. However, BAC testresults are available for about 60% ofthe drivers in fatal accidents who wereidentified, presumably by policeofficers or others, as having beendrinking drivers.

yAmong those crashes in whichpersons were tested for BAC, anestimated 59% were found to have aBAC of zero and 41% had a positiveBAC of .01 g/dl or higher (figure 17).


Figure 17

8FARS data in the following analyses wereobtained from the Traffic Safety CD-ROM:1996, produced by the Bureau of Transpor-tation Statistics. This dataset containsannual FARS data files for the first twodecades of the program, 1975-94.

Source: Fatal Accident Reporting System,1994.

Note: BAC is measured and reported forabout a third of the 92,000 fatal motorvehicle accidents in 1994. Data shownhere and in subsequent figures are basedon those accidents where the BAC of thedriver was known.

2.60.33.50.26-0.299.10.20-0.25

17.20.10-0.192.40.08-0.091.90.06-0.074.70.01-0.05

58.6%0

Percent of fatalaccidents

Blood alcoholconcentration

4 out of 10 fatal motor vehicleaccidents had a drinking driver.A third of such accidentsinvolved a driver who had been drinking and whose BACwas at least 0.08.

y An estimated 34% of fatal accidents in which alcohol tests were conductedreflected BAC levels of 0.08 or higher.9

Fatal accident data for 1996 indicate.that alcohol is more likely to be a factorat night & 62% of fatal crashes at nightinvolved alcohol & than in the daytimewhen 18% were alcohol-involved.

y Nearly half of all fatal accidents inwhich the driver has been drinking occuron the weekend (figure 18). The


Source: Fatal Accident Reporting System, 1975-94.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday0%

10%

20%

30%

Percent of fatal accidentswith a drinking driver

Figure 18

9About 97% of those with positive BAC’s(.01 g/dl or higher) in the 1994 datasetwere drivers in fatal accidents. Theremainder were pedestrians, cyclists, andnonoccupants who were tested andreported as involved in the fatal crash.

s

ss

s

ss

s

s

s

s

s

8

88

8

88

8

8

8

8

8

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Percent of drinking drivers in fatal accidents with recorded BAC levels

0.10 orhigherBAC

0.08 or higher BAC


Up toMidnight 6 a.m. Noon 6 p.m.midnight

Figure 19

rate of alcohol involvement in 1996fatal crashes occurring during theweekend was 54% compared to 31%during the week.

y About 84% of drinking drivers infatal accidents in 1994 were reportedto have been at 0.08 g/dl or higher(figure 20). About 78% were at 0.10g/dl or higher.

y Over the first 20 years ofrecord-keeping by NHTSA onfatal motor vehicle accidents,BAC data indicating alcoholconsumption by a driverinvolved in the accident areavailable for nearly a quartermillion drivers in crashes inwhich a death occurred.Among these drinking drivers,about 3 out of 4 had a BAC ofat least 0.10 g/dl and justunder a third were about twicethat level &&0.20 g/dl or higher(figure 21).



.05 or less

.06-.07

.08-.09

.10-.19

.20-.29

.30 or higher

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Percent of drivers in fatal accidents with apositive test of blood alcohol concentration

BAC levels

Of those drivers who were drinking before a fatal crash, 40% had a BAC between 0.10 and 0.19, and 38% had a BAC of 0.20 orhigher. To reach a BAC above 0.10, a man of average size and metabo-lism

Figure 20

Figure 21


15387450 or older9438145-499428140-449408135-398378130-349327925-29

11237320-2416146216-1911%30%75%All

BAC’s0.05 orless

BAC’sabove0.20

BAC’sabove0.10

Age of drinking driver

Percent of all drinking drivers

About 4 in 10 drivers in fatal accidents with a drinking driver age 30 or older had a BAC level above 0.20.

y The average BAC among drinkingdrivers in fatal accidents in 1994 was0.16 g/dl (figure 20).

In fatal motor vehicle accidents &

The highest average BAC amongdrinking drivers was found for thosefrom age 40 to 44 (0.19 g/dl).

Just under 12% of drinking driverswere known to have had prior convictions for DWI.

The average level of intoxication wasabout 25% higher for these repeatoffenders than among those who hadno reported prior DWI convictions.

y The greater the number of prior licensesuspensions and DWI convictions, thehigher the average BAC among drinkingdrivers involved in fatal accidents (figure23). Those with two prior DWI convic-tions had an average BAC which was10% higher than those with one priorconviction and 33% higher than thosewith no prior convictions.

y There was substantial variation indriving background among those atdifferent levels of intoxication (figure 24).Those with the highest blood alcoholconcentrations, 0.30g/dl, were about 4times as likely as those not drinking tohave had no valid license at the time ofthe crash and about 7 times as likely tohave had prior DWI convictions. At eachintoxication level shown, the drivingrecord of the fatal accident driverworsened.

18 Alcohol and Crime Revised 4/28/98 th

Source: Fatal Accident Reporting System,1994.

11.80.201 or more88.2%0.16None

Prior DWIconvictions

23.80.18Suspended 76.2%0.16Valid

Drivers’ license

14.60.16Female85.4%0.16Male

10.40.1750 or older6.10.1845-498.00.1940-44

12.30.1835-3915.90.1730-3416.90.1625-2921.20.1520-249.00.1216-190.3%0.1215 or younger

100%0.16All

Percentof drink-ingdrivers

AverageBACDrinking drivers

Fatal accidents

Among drinking driversinvolved in fatal accidents in 1994, the highest BAC levelswere recorded for persons from age 40 to 44, those whose license was suspended,and those with prior DWIconvictions.

Figure 22

Alcohol and Crime 19Revised 4/28/98 th

Note: Table does not show those for whom the license status was unknown or for whom BAC was not measured.

Source: Fatal Accident Reporting System, 1994.

732<11<12 or more131387521808390939498None

Prior DWI convictions

2014119942 or more11141213951697177788291None

Number of prior license sus pensions

34272220198Invalid667378808192Valid

License status at timeof accident

100%100%100%100%100%100%Total

0.30+0.20-0.29

0.10-0.19

0.08-0.09

0.01-0.070

Driving record of drivers in fatal crashes

BAC levels

2 or morePrior DWI's

1None

License suspensions2 or more

1None

License

ValidInvalid

All drinking drivers

Average BAC levels of drinking drivers in fatal accidents

0 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25

Source: Fatal Accident Reporting System, 1994.

BAC records of drivers in fatal accidents show that the levels of intoxication at the time of the accident vary with the driving record. Among drivers in fatal accidents, the highest average BAC level, 0.21, or more than twice the legally defined level of intoxication in most States, was found for those with 2 or more prior DWI convictions.

Figure 24

Figure 23

Use of alcohol by convictedoffenders

More than 36% of the 5.3 millionconvicted adult offenders under the juris-diction of probation authorities, jails,prisons, or parole agencies in 1996 hadbeen drinking at the time of the offensesfor which they had been convicted. Thistranslates into just under 2 millionconvicted offenders nationwide on anaverage day& 1.3 million on probation,85,000 in local jails, 360,000 in State andFederal prisons, and more than 200,000under parole supervision& for whomalcohol use was a factor in their crime(figure 25).

BJS periodically conducts surveysamong the Nation’s offender populationin order to learn more about theirbackgrounds. Representative samplesof probationers and those in local jailsand State and Federal prisons are inter-viewed about their criminal histories,family backgrounds, and many elementsof the current offense. Among the topicsof interest is their experience withalcohol, both in the past and at the timeof the crime. These data representdetailed information not typically avail-able from official records and provide theonly uniform national description ofoffender use of alcohol.


Note: The prevalence of alcohol use at the time of offense for parolees was estimated by applying the known percentages for prisoners by offense to the composition of the prison exit cohort.

1,919,25136.3%5,280,728Total

206,48029.3704,709Parole11,61011.0105,544Federal prison

347,21732.31,074,976State prison84,97939.5215,136Local jail

1,268,96539.9%3,180,363Probation

Estimated number of offenders for whomalcohol was a factor in their crime

Estimated percent-age using alcohol at the time of theoffenseNumber Correctional authority

Convicted offenders

On an average day in 1996, an estimated 5.3 million convicted offenderswere under the supervision of criminal justice authorities. Nearly 40% of these offenders, about 2 million, had been using alcohol at the time of the offense for which they were convicted.

Figure 25

y As would be expected,those convicted of public-order crimes such as DWI,weapons offenses, andcommercial vice are the mostlikely to report the use ofalcohol at the time of theoffense (figure 27). For morethan 4 in 10 convictedmurderers, being held eitherin jail or in State prison,alcohol use is reported tohave been a factor in thecrime. Nearly half of thoseconvicted of assault andsentenced to probation hadbeen drinking when theoffense occurred.


Victims

Jail inmates

Probationers

State prisoners

0% 20% 40%

Note: Estimates for victims are basedon those who reported knowing if theoffender used or did not use alcohol/drugs.

Percent of incidentsor offenders

Self reports

Victims and offenders both report thatabout 4 in 10 violent crimes involved alcohol use by the offender.

Note: Data for this table are drawn from the 1996 Survey of Adults on Probation, the 1996 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, and the 1991 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities.*Too few cases for estimate to be made.

13.1%43.0%56.0%75.1%Public-order offenses

8.317.528.416.2Trafficking8.318.328.614.4Possession8.2%18.0%28.8%16.3%Drug offenses

5.318.921.69.7Fraud15.429.231.616.3Larceny15.334.738.238.5Burglary8.1%31.8%32.8%18.5%Property offenses

38.141.645.445.5Assault13.932.737.6*Robbery26.535.931.531.8Rape/sexual assault37.241.443.7*Murder20.4%37.5%40.6%40.7%Violent offenses

11.0%32.3%39.5%39.9%All offenses

Convictedoffenders inFederal prisons

Convictedoffenders inState prisons

Convictedoffenders inlocal jails

Adults onprobation

Percent of offenders drinking at the time of the offense

Similar percentages of offenders on probation and in jail or State prison committed their crimes while drinkin g.

Figure 27

Figure 26

y

Regardless of the type of correctionsstatus, offenders were about equallylikely to have been drinking at the timeof the crime. What they consumed wassimilar, with beer being the mostcommonly used alcoholic beverage: 30%of probationers, 32% of jail inmates, and23% of State prisoners said that theyhad been drinking beer or beer in combi-nation with liquor prior to the commissionof the current offense (figures 28a, b,and c). Consumption of wine alone wascomparatively rare among the surveyedoffender populations.

y On average, the consumption of anounce of ethanol is equal to drinkingabout two 12-ounce beers. Among

offenders who drank during the 8 hoursor less before the offense, the amount ofethanol consumed varied by correctionalstatus and by offense.

Probationers were estimated to haveconsumed about 4.7 ounces of ethanol,the equivalent of about 9 beers. Bycontrast, jail inmates self-reportedethanol consumption equaling about 11beers, and prisoners drank the equiva-lent of 15 beers during a period of up to8 hours prior to the crime. The highestoverall consumption prior to the offensewas reported by State prisoners servingtime after conviction for a propertyoffense. The amount of ethanolconsumed among offenders in theimmediate period (up to 8 hours) preced-ing the offense was:

Ounces of ethanol consumedin a period up to 8 hoursbefore the crime

StateType of Proba- Jail prisonoffense tioners inmates inmates All offenders 4.7 oz 5.6 oz 7.5 oz Violent 5.6 6.0 7.8Property 6.5 6.4 8.3Drugs 4.0 4.6 5.4Public- order 4.2 5.5 6.5


Not drinking

Other combinations

Liquor

Beer and liquor

Beer

0% 20% 40% 60%

Local jail inmates

Percent of convictedjail inmates drinking atthe time of offense

Not drinking

Other combinations

Liquor

Beer and liquor

Beer

0% 20% 40% 60%

Percent of convictedState prisoners drinkingat the time of offense

State prison inmates

Figures 28a, b, and c

Adults on probation

Percent of adults onprobation drinking atthe time of offense

Not drinking

Other combinations

Liquor

Beer and liquor

Beer

0% 20% 40% 60%

y BJS surveys gather information onthe type of beverage consumed at thetime of the crime, the amount of eachtype of alcoholic beverage consumed,and the time spent drinking prior to theoccurrence of the offense. Togetherwith the offenders’ self-reported bodyweight, it is possible to estimate theBAC of each offender at the time theoffense was committed (figure 29).10

y These self-reports indicate thatthose offenders in State prisons,though a smaller percentage had beendrinking at the time, were considerablymore intoxicated when the crimeoccurred than those on probation orbeing held in local jails. Thoseconvicted offenders on probation andin local jails appear, on average, to beabout as intoxicated as drivers in fatalaccidents (average BAC was about0.17 g/dl for fatal accident driversfrom the FARS data for 1994) whenthey committed their crimes. Suchcomparative data on estimated levelsof intoxication at the time of the crimehave never been reported previouslyfor a nationally representative sampleof offenders.


10The National Highway Traffic Safety Administra-tion provided a formula to BJS which takes thesefactors into account and reduces BAC based upona standardized rate at which the body metabolizesethanol. See Appendix I for details.

Figure 29

Note: See Appendix 1, page 32, for calculation of the BAC. Analysis was limited to persons reporting drinking for 8 hours or less preceding the offense.

0.230.190.14Public-order

0.190.150.14Drugs

0.290.190.34Motor vehicle theft0.280.230.23Larceny0.310.240.26Burglary0.300.220.24Property

0.300.180.18Assault0.280.220.32Robbery0.280.250.13Sexual assault0.280.260.22Homicide0.280.200.18Violent

0.270.190.16All offenders

State prisonersLocal jail inmatesProbationersType of offense

Offenders who reported drinking at the time of the offense &

estimated average BAC at the time of the offense

While about 33% of State prisoners and nearly 40% of convicted offenders under probation supervision or in local jails reported drinking at the time of the offense, estimates of the average bloodalcohol concentration (BAC) suggest that State prisoners were more severely intoxicated when they committed their crime.

Offenders on probation and alcohol use

y About a quarter of the women onprobation nationwide had been drinkingat the time of the offense compared tomore than 40% of male probationers(figure 30). For those convicted ofpublic-order crimes, nearly two-thirds ofwomen and three-quarters of men hadbeen drinking at the time of the offense.

y Probationers described a variety of behaviors at some time in their liveswhen drinking:

About half of all probationers reportedthat they had driven a vehicle whileunder the influence of alcohol.

About half of all probationers hadengaged in arguments with family orfriends while drinking.

About a third of probationers had gotteninto a physical fight with someone afterdrinking.

More than a third of probationersreported that they had consumed theequivalent of a fifth of liquor in a day.

About 1 in 12 probationers said they hada lost a job because of drinking.

y Estimates of BAC for probationersat the time of the offense were higher


Figure 30

Total probation population 100%

At the time of the offense

Detoxification 6%Inpatient program 5%Outpatient program 24%Self-help group 30%Other 9%

Ever 62%

Never 38%

Drinking 40%

In alcohol treatment

Note: Probationers may have participated in more than one type of treatment. Theself-help groups include Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and a variety of other organizations.

Not drinking 60%

Figure 31

Public-order

Drug

Property

Violent

Total

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Percent of adults on probationwho had used alcohol at thetime of their offense

MaleFemale

among those describing themselvesas daily drinkers (0.19 g/dl) comparedto those who typically drank less often(0.15 g/dl). The number of hoursspent drinking was an important factorin the level of intoxication at the time of the offense:

Hours drinking Average BAC

1 .082 .103 .144 .195 or more .22

y Among those offenders drinking atthe time of the offense, an estimated62% had previously participated in analcohol treatment program (figure 31).

y About a third of all probationersreported that they had received someform of alcohol treatment since beingplaced on probation. More than 6 in10 probationers who had been underthe influence of alcohol at the time oftheir offense said they had beeninvolved in an alcohol treatment

program since entering probationsupervision. Percent of probationers

receiving treatment afterbeing placed on probation

DrinkingType of when com-program All mitted offense Any 32% 62% Crisis/detox 4 9 Self-help (AA-type group) 24 48 Counseling 8 14 Outpatient 18 38 Inpatient 4 8

Local jail inmates and alcohol use

y As found among probationers,convicted males in local jails weremore likely than convicted females toreport alcohol use at the time of theoffense, though the disparity bygender was smaller (figure 32). Forevery type of offense, except forpublic order crimes, women in jailreported greater use of alcohol at thetime of the offense than was the casefor women under probation supervi-sion in the community (figure 30).


Total Violent Property Drugs Public-order

Type of conviction offense

Percent of jail inmatesdrinking at the time of the offense

Males

Females

60%

20%

0%

40%

Figure 32

y Across the periodic BJS surveys of jailinmates, the percentage reportingalcohol use prior to the offense suggeststhat violent offenders serving time in1996 were somewhat less likely to havebeen using alcohol when they committedthe crime than in earlier surveys.

Percent of convicted jailinmates consuming alcoholprior to the offense 1983 1989 1996

All offenders 48% 41% 40%Violent 54 47 41Property 40 31 33Drugs 29 20 29Public-order 64 64 56

Sources: BJS, Surveys of Inmates in Local Jails.

y Based upon the self-reported drinkingbehavior at the time of the offense,about two-thirds of convicted jail inmateswho had been drinking had a BAC of atleast 0.10 g/dl at the time of the offenseand nearly three-quarters had BAC’s of0.08 or higher (figure 33).


687384DWI67%72%83%Public-order

51%55%66%Drugs

698188Motor vehicle theft828791Larceny788391Burglary76%82%88%Property

656978Assault808586Robbery838391Sexual assault868690Murder71%75%81%Violent

67%72%81%All

0.10 and higher

0.08 and higher

0.05 and higher

Percent of drinking inmates in estimated BAC levelsJail inmates

drinking at the time of the offense

Overall, about two-thirds of convicted offenders in local jails who reported that they had been drinking at the time of the offense were estimated to have had a BAC level of 0.10 or higher.

Figure 33

y About a third of all convictedinmates in local jails describedthemselves as having been dailydrinkers at the time of the offense(figure 32). Among these daily drink-ers, about 2 out of 3 said that they hadpreviously received some form ofalcohol treatment, with detoxificationthe most commonly described inter-vention. Among those who describedthemselves as drinking less often,about 2 out of 3 also reported prioralcohol treatment participation, most often in an inpatient program.

y The most recent census of the 3,300local jails nationwide (1993) indicatesthat about 10% of all jails maintainspecial housing units for alcoholdetoxification. Less than 4% of localjails in States in the Northeast,however, describe having such unitsavailable for housing inmates in needof alcohol detoxification.

Number of jails, 1993Withdetox

Region Total facilitiesTotal U.S. 3,304 324Northeast 228 8Midwest 967 82South 1,591 170West 518 64


Source: BJS, Survey of Inmates in Local Jails, 1996.


Non-drinkers42%

Drinkers58%

Daily drinkers32%

Drinking less than daily26%

Ever65%

Never 35%

Ever63%

Never 37%


Type of program Type of program

Convicted inmates in local jails100%

Other 3%

Detoxification 23%Inpatient program 20%Outpatient program 7%

Self-help/AA -type group 13%

Detoxification 15%Inpatient program 19%Outpatient program10%Self-help/AA-type group 13%Other 6%

About 6 in 10 convicted jail inmates said that they had been drinking on a regular basis during the year before the offense for which they were serving time.

Nearly 2 out of 3 of these inmates, regardless of whether they drank daily or less often, reported having previously been in a treatment program for an alcohol dependency problem.

Figure 34

Inmates in State prisons and alcohol use

y The alcohol consumption patterns ofState prisoners differ markedly from jailinmates and probationers; though theprevalence of drinking is lower, theestimated levels of intoxication at thetime of the offense are higher. A majordeparture from other components of thecorrections population is that womeninmates report higher levels of intoxica-tion at the time of the offense than maleinmates (figure 33).

y Overall, State prison inmates reporthaving consumed an average of nearly 9ounces of ethanol prior to the offense,the equivalent of about three six-packsof beer or two quarts of wine. Themedian time spent drinking prior to thecrime was about 6 hours.

y Intoxication levels vary by the amountof time the offender spent drinking

before the crime but vary little by therelationship between the victim andoffender in violent crimes.

y The extent of alcohol involvement incrime increases if victim use of alcoholat the time of the offense is included.While the NCVS does not ask crimevictims to indicate if they had been drink-ing when the offense occurred, theinmate surveys ask the offender toindicate if he/she knew if the victim hadbeen drinking. Among violent offendersin State prisons, 28% reported that theyhad been using alcohol at the time of theoffense, 6% report only the victim hadbeen using alcohol, and 8% of violentoffenders report that both they and theirvictim had been drinking (text table onpage 29). Manslaughter offenses andoffenses directed against a spouse orintimate were the most likely to havebeen alcohol-involved.


Male Female0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Sex of offender

1 2 3 4+0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Hours of drinking

Stranger

Family Intimate

Acquaintance

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Victim-offender relationship

Estimated average BAC at the time of the offense

Stran- Fam- Inti- Acquain-ger ily mate tance

Figure 35

According to offenders, whether thevictim was drinking at the time of theviolent offense:

Of- Vic- Nei-fender tim Both ther

All offenders 28% 6% 8% 58%

OffenseMurder 25% 10% 13% 52%Man- slaughter 27 13 17 43Rape/ sexual assault 27 3 8 62Robbery 29 4 3 64Assault 29 8 11 52

Victim/offender relationshipStranger 30% 5% 7% 58%Family 23 3 4 70Spouse/ intimate 27 10 18 45Acquaintance 26 8 12 54

y Among State prisoners, nearly 3 in10 described themselves as dailydrinkers during the period precedingtheir incarceration (figure 34). By typeof offense, there was little variation inthe percentage who describedthemselves as drinking daily: onlythose serving time for drug offenseswere less likely to report regular drink-ing or drinking daily. Daily drinkersreported that they began regular drink-ing earlier, at less than age 17, and atthe time of the offense, they wereestimated to have had the highestaverage BAC, about 0.30 g/dl.


0.220.240.300.27Average BAC at thetime of the offense

18.4 yr18.0 yr16.7 yr17.4 yrAverage age begandrinking regularly

17%27%32%24%100%Public-order

19%25%23%34%100%Drugs

16%25%30%28%100%Property

17273423100Assault15242931100Robbery20252925100Sexual assault18332525100Manslaughter19253224100Murder18253026100Violent

18%25%29%28%100%All

Drinking less thanweekly

Weeklydrinkers

Daily drinkers

Non-drinkersTotal

Most serious offenseof State prisoninmates

Percent of State prison inmates

Just under 30% of State prisoners described themselves as dailydrinkers. Daily drinkers began regular drinking at the earliest age and had the highest estimated BAC at the time of the offense for which they were in prison.

Figure 36


Figure 38

0.250.300.240.300.28Average BACof murderer

5046645352Neither1318131314Both1399810Victim2427142625Murderer

100%100%100%100%100%Total

AcquaintanceIntimateFamilymember StrangerAll

Victims of murderers in State prisonsDrinking at thetime of themurder

Convicted murderers in State prisons reported that alcohol was afactor in about half the murders they committed. Those whomurdered intimates reported drinking the largest quantity for thelongest period prior to the offense. They were estimated to have hada comparatively high BAC, about 0.30, at the time of the murder.

Non-drinkers28%

Drinkers72%

Daily drinkers29%

Drinking less than daily43%

Ever48%

Never 69%

Never 52%

Ever31%

Total State prison inmatepopulation

100%

Alcohol treatmentAlcohol treatment

Type of program

Source: BJS, Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, 1991.

Type of program

Other 1%

Detoxification 2%Inpatient program 12%Outpatient program 5%Self-help/AA -type group 28%

Detoxification 1%Inpatient program 5%Outpatient program 3%Self-help/AA -type group 21%Other 1%

About half of all State prison inmates describing themselves as dailydrinkers had received some form of treatment in the past. For most the treatment was in the form of participation in a self-help group such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

Figure 37

y About half the prisoners whodescribed themselves as daily drinkersprior to entering prison, reported thatthey had participated in an alcoholtreatment program at some time intheir lives (figure 36). y Among offenders in State prisonswho described themselves as drinkers,offenders convicted of public-ordercrimes were the most likely to reporthaving previously participated in analcohol treatment program.

y About a third of daily drinkers inState prisons had participated inalcohol treatment programs 2 or moretimes previously. Since admission toprison, about 1 in 5 offenders whodescribed themselves as drinkersjoined an AA or Al-Anon type of group.

y In 1995 a BJS census conductedamong prisons nationwide revealedthat 1,224 of the 1,375 State correc-tional facilities (both confinementfacilities and community-based facili-ties) and 121 of the 125 Federalprisons and halfway houses providedalcohol dependency treatmentprograms. Among these 1,345 correc-tional facilities with alcohol treatmentservices, 1,075 were traditionalconfinement facilities and 270 werecommunity-based primarily serving apre-release population.

y Among the 1,196 confinement facili-ties nationwide in 1995, 192 indicatedthat a central mission of the facilitywas to provide drug/alcohol treatment,more than double the number ofprisons providing such services in1990. Thirty-nine prisons describedtheir primary function as alcohol/drugtreatment.

y In 1995 there were 110 privatelyoperated correctional facilities in theU.S. under contract to State orFederal authorities. Among these, 4facilities, housing an average dailypopulation of 1,035 inmates,described their primary function asalcohol or drug treatment.


Appendix I

Formula for calculating BAC

The National Highway Traffic Admin-istration has provided a formula thatpermits an estimate of Blood AlcoholConcentration (BAC) to be made basedupon the self-reported drinking behaviorof the offender immediately precedingthe commission of the offense. Theformula requires the collection of datafrom offenders about the type of bever-age consumed, the alcohol content ofthat beverage, the quantity consumed,the amount of time spent drinking, thedrinker’s gender, and the body weight ofthe offender.

The formula for calculating BAC aftermultiple hours of drinking (WidmarkFormula) is:

BAC(h)=[A/(r * p)/10]-(h* k)whereBAC=Blood Alcohol Concentration attime hA=grams of ethanol consumed: which isequal to (liquid ounces of ethanol *.82)/.035r=reduced body mass: which is .68 formales and .55 for femalesp=weight in kilograms: which is equal toweight in pounds/2.2046h=hours drinkingK=estimated rate at which the bodymetabolizes ethanol which is .015 gramsper hour

Based on this formula, a male offenderwho weighs 173 pounds and reportedconsuming 12 beers in 4 hours beforethe offense would have an estimatedBAC of 0.19 at the time of the crime.To solve for BAC &1) 144 ounces beer * 4% alcoholcontent=5.76 ounces of liquid ethanol2) A=(5.76 * .82)/.035=134.95 grams ofethanol3) p=173 pounds/2.2046=78.47kilograms4) r * p=.68 * 78.47 kilograms=53.36kilograms5) h * k=4 hours * .015=.06

BAC (4 hours)=[(134.95/53.36)/10]-.06=(2.527/10)-.06=.19


Note: The average metabolic rates assume areduction of 0.015 g/dl per hour.

0.220.1240.160.0930.110.0620.050.031 hour

136-poundfemale

173-poundmale

Hours drinking at the rate of 2beers per hour

Estimated BAC from consuming two12-ounce beers perhour

Appendix II

Liquor law violations on college campuses

Based upon a nationwide survey ofpostsecondary institutions carried outby the National Center for EducationStatisitics, in 1994 an estimated 13%of 2- and 4-year colleges reportedon-campus arrests for liquor law viola-tions. Liquor law violations generallyinclude prohibited manufacture, sale,or possession of liquor and maintain-ing illegal drinking places but excludepublic drunkenness offenses andDUI/DWI.

An estimated 63% of public 4-yearuniversities reported arrests for liquorlaw violations compared to 17% ofprivate 4-year schools. Nationalestimates of the number of arrests oncampus for 1994 were 20,430. Percapita arrest rates averaged 1.404 perthousand students nationwide butvaried substantially by type of school,residency, size, and location:

Source: Laurie Lewis and ElizabethFarris, Campus Crime and Security atPostsecondary Education Institutions,Washington, D.C.: National Center forEducation Statistics, January 1997(NCES 97-402).

Just over half of campus law enforce-ment agencies at 4-year universitiesand colleges with at least 2,500students report that they operatealcohol education programs. Gener-ally, the larger the university the morelikely they are to maintain alcoholeducation as a special unit or activity.Public universities (59%) more oftenreported the availability of suchprograms and services than thoseuniversities which were privatelyoperated (43%).

Source: Brian A. Reaves and AndrewL. Goldberg, Campus Law Enforce-ment Agencies, 1995, Washington,D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics,December 1996 (NCJ-161137).


Rates of arrest for liquor law violations per 1,000 students, 1994

Public 2-year .339 No campus housing .087Private 2-year .932 <25% on campus 1.575Public 4-year 2.837 25% or more on campus 2.996Private 4-year .595

<200 students .985 Large city campus .775200-999 .336 Mid-size city campus 1.7541,000-2,999 .939 Urban fringe campus 1.0443,000-9,999 1.175 Town/rural campus 2.40310,000 or more 1.780


30.4Don’t know38.7Neither5.1Drugs only1.3Alcohol or drugs4.7Alcohol and drugs

19.7%Alcohol only

Percent of victims of violence

Was the offenderusing &

Figure 2. Victims’ perception of theuse of alcohol and drugs by theviolent offender

9.3Midnight10.2119.6108.597.185.874.863.553.242.231.721.41 p.m.1.3Noon1.0110.9100.790.880.971.061.452.644.837.829.61 a.m.9.3%Midnight

Percent of violentincidents

Hour ofoccurrence

Figure 11. Percent of violentincidents involving alcohol, by hour ofoccurrence

11.0Other family members11.8Strangers19.2Boy/girlfriends28.6Acquaintances29.4%Spouses/ex-spouses

Percent of violentincidents involv-ing alcohol

Figure 9. Percent of violent incidentsthat involved alcohol, by the victim-offender relationshi p

3.9Other weapons6.4Blunt objects6.9Knives3.7Firearms

79.1%Hands, feet, or fists

Percent of alcohol-related violentincidents

Figure 12. Type of weapon used in alcohol-related incidents

*Estimated from the characteristics of inmates leaving State prison.

225,507206,480Parolees*351,186358,827Prison inmates77,44984,979Jail inmates

445,2511,268,965Probationers1,099,3931,919,251 Total

DrugsAlcohol

Number of convicted offenders who had usedalcohol or drugs at the time of the offense

Cover. Number of persons under correctional supervisionwho committed their crime after drinkin g, 1996

Datapointsfor thegraphics


7.6.30 or higher29.9.20-.2939.9.10-.196.0.08-.094.8.06-.07

11.7%0.05 or less

Percent of drink-ing driversBAC levels

Figure 20. Percent of drinkingdrivers in fatal accidents, by BAClevels

35.1Victims40.6Jail inmates40.7Probationers37.5%State prisoners

Percent of incidents oroffenders in which theviolent offender wasdrinkingSource

Figure 26. Percent of offenders andvictims who reported that the offende rwas drinking at the time of the crime

20.4Sunday25.6Saturday16.2Friday11.0Thursday9.4Wednesday8.5Tuesday8.7%Monday

Percent of fatalaccidents with adrinking driver

Figure 18. Percent of fatal accidentswith a drinking driver, by day ofoccurrence

0.16All drinking drivers

0.18Invalid0.16Valid

License

0.16None0.1710.182 or more

Licensesuspensions

0.16None0.1910.212 or more

DWI convictions

BAC levels ofdrinking drivers infatal accidents

Figure 23. BAC levels of drinkingdrivers in fatal accidents, by drivingrecord

59.363.711 -11:59 p.m.54.257.99 -10:59 47.350.76:30 -8:59 33.536.04:30 -6:29 21.723.42 -4:29 13.714.910 a.m.-1:59 p.m.11.712.77-9:59 30.733.35-6:5967.472.32 -4:59 69.374.11 -1:5957.4%62.9%Midnight-12:59 a.m.

0.10 orhigher

0.08 orhigher

Percent of drinkingdrivers in fatalaccidents withrecorded BAClevels

Figure 19. Percent of drinkingdrivers in fatal accidents, by BAClevels and hour of occurrence


626062None642Other combinations

101210Beer and liquor946Liquor

13%20%20%Beer

State prisoninmates

Local jail inmates

Adults on probation

Beverage consumed at the time of the crime

Percent of drinking offenders

Figures 28a, b, c. Alcoholic beverages consumed by convictedoffenders drinking at the time of their offense, by jail and prisoninmates and adults on probation

6275Public-order1217Drugs621Property

2838Violent25%41%Total

WomenMen

Percent of adultson probationdrinking at thetime of theoffense

Figure 30. Percent of adults onprobation who had used alcohol at the time of their offense, byoffense and sex of offender

4757Public-order2729Drugs1635Property3541Violent29%41%Total

WomenMen

Percent ofinmates in localjails drinking atthe time of theoffense

Figure 32. Percent of inmates inlocal jails who had used alcohol atthe time of their offense, by offenseand sex of offender

0.27Acquaintances0.29Intimates0.31Family members0.29Strangers

0.3440.2730.2020.13Drinking 1 hour

0.37Female0.27Male

Estimated BAClevels of Stateprison inmates attime of offense

Figure 35. BAC levels of drinkingState inmates at the time of theiroffense, by sex of inmates, number ofhours of drinking, and victim-offenderrelationshi p

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