Do Sentencing Enhancements for Drunk Driving Decrease Recidivism? A Regression Discontinuity Approach

21 Pages Posted: 19 Jul 2011

See all articles by Miguel de Figueiredo

Miguel de Figueiredo

University of Connecticut - School of Law

Date Written: July 12, 2011

Abstract

Using micro-level data on drunk driving arrests in Arkansas, this paper exploits discontinuities in sentencing enhancements at various blood alcohol content (BAC) levels to estimate causally the effect of the increasing penalties on recidivism. Specifically, the research design examines defendants just above and just below a BAC level of 0.15 to see if the effect of an increased license suspension by an additional two months has an effect on recidivism. The paper finds that increased penalties in the neighborhood of the discontinuity in the form of license suspensions have no statistically significant effect on drunk driving recidivism, suggesting that the increased penalty does not deter defendants from committing another drunk driving offense in the future. The paper’s focus on suspension of privileges as a form of punishment, coupled with its rich micro-level data (15,973 defendants from two jurisdictions) and research design that enables reliable causal inferences and estimation, make it contrast with numerous studies in the extant literature.

Suggested Citation

de Figueiredo, Miguel, Do Sentencing Enhancements for Drunk Driving Decrease Recidivism? A Regression Discontinuity Approach (July 12, 2011). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1884362 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1884362

Miguel De Figueiredo (Contact Author)

University of Connecticut - School of Law ( email )

65 Elizabeth Street
Hartford, CT 06105
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
138
Abstract Views
868
Rank
204,384
PlumX Metrics