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Article Excerpt
HISPANIC POPULATIONS in the United States may be particularly vulnerable to driving while intoxicated with alcohol. Hispanics are overrepresented among those arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) in California (Chang et al., 1996; Lockyer, 1997; Tashima and Helander, 1997). Similarly, Hispanics, particularly Mexican Americans, are disproportionately likely to die in alcohol-related traffic crashes (Voas et al., 2000). In national roadside surveys conducted in 1973, 1986, and 1996 of randomly selected drivers, high and growing proportions of Hispanics were found to have been drinking, whereas the proportions of white and black drinking drivers have decreased over that same period (Voas et al., 1997). Moreover, DUI recidivism rates have been found to be higher among Mexican Americans in comparison with whites (Cherpitel and Bond, 2003).
The mechanism whereby ethnicity may impart a vulnerability to driving while intoxicated is not well understood. One possible mechanism is an individual driver's knowledge and level of adaptation to the U.S. culture, or one's degree of acculturation. Although a general consensus on how to conceptualize and measure acculturation has yet to be reached, a widely accepted definition of acculturation is the extent to which individuals learn the values, behaviors, lifestyles, and language of the host culture (Zane and Mak, 2003). Acculturation has been cited as both a significant risk and protective factor for drinking and driving. For example, researchers have speculated that less-acculturated individuals are more susceptible to DUI violations because of their lack of knowledge about DUI laws (Caetano and Clark, 2000; Cherpitel and Tam, 2000; Ferguson et al., 2002), perhaps because of the notion that DUI taws may be less strictly enforced in their country of origin (Caetano and McGrath, 2005). At the same time, acculturation has been associated with drinking frequency in that foreign-born Hispanics tend to drink less often (Caetano and Raspberry, 2000), may drive less frequently, and report fewer DUI behaviors than their U.S.-born counterparts (Caetano and McGrath, 2005). Researchers have also suggested that integration into one's ethnic group may result in fewer deviant behaviors such as substance use or drinking and driving (Finch and Vega, 2003; Singh and Siahpush, 2001). These studies indicate that the association between acculturation and drunk driving among Hispanics is complex and not well understood.
This study examines the relationship between acculturation and DUI recidivism among a sample of Hispanics who were convicted of a second or third DUI offense in Los Angeles, CA. We examined factors associated with self-reported DUI convictions as well as DUI arrest rates during a 2-year follow-up period. The DUI conviction data in this study were derived from the self-reports of the offenders, and arrest data were collected from administrative records maintained by law enforcement agencies. To understand better the relationship that acculturation plays in DUI arrest and conviction rates, we examined whether acculturation provides additional information on the likelihood of DUI recidivism beyond that contained in age, education, employment status, alcohol problems, and other factors. These characteristics included sociodemographic factors, drinking, and related characteristics that were measured during an interview with the offender that was conducted after an arraignment for a repeat DUI offense.
Method
Participants
Recruitment for the study occurred between May 2000 and December 2002 at the Rio Hondo municipal court in El Monte, in the eastern region of Los Angeles County, CA. The population of El Monte is approximately 122,650; the court serves El Monte and a larger surrounding area. The resident population of this area is 72% Hispanic (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). The rate of violent crime in El Monte is slightly higher (602 per 100,000) than the national average (475 per 100,000; Morgan, 2003). Overall, the Hispanic population in Los Angeles County drinks less alcohol than the average county resident. Nevertheless, rates of heavy episodic drinking (five or more drinks in a sitting in the past month) among Hispanics are higher, occurring at a rate of 20.7% compared with the overall county population average of 17.1% (Los Angeles Department of Health Services, 2003). California Office of Traffic Safety (2003) data rank the city of El Monte fifth of 47 comparably sized cities in California for rates of alcohol-involved collisions per vehicle miles traveled.
Offenders were eligible to participate in the study if they had a previous DUI conviction and were found guilty of a new DUI or other alcohol-related violation. Judges at the El Monte Superior Courthouse were instructed to refer multiple offenders whom they deemed eligible to participate in the study. Among all offenders who were referred by the court for sentencing,...
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