1. Using Enforcement to Reduce Underage Drinking
Michael Sparks
Alcohol Policy Specialist

2. Please answer, in the chat box:
Question
Please answer, in the chat box:
What campus are you from?
What is your role in prevention?
Do you work with a coalition?

3. Today’s Discussion Public Health Model of Prevention
Laws as one type of environmental prevention
Logic Model of Community Influences of Underage Drinking
The role of law enforcement in reducing underage drinking

4. How familiar are you with environmental approaches/strategies?
Poll #1
How familiar are you with environmental approaches/strategies?
Very familiar
Kind of familiar
Not familiar

5. Alcohol-Related Problems
Public Health Model
Individual
Alcohol
Environment
Alcohol-Related Problems

6. College Party

7. What works: Reviews of the U.S. and global research literature
CDC Guide to Community Preventive Services

8. Policy Approaches to Prevention
Formal legal and regulatory mechanisms, rules, and procedures for reducing risky behaviors (e.g., the consumption of alcohol or risky drinking behaviors)
Implementation and enforcement of these measures
Most approaches to reducing youth drinking depend on educational approaches—especially school-based education. Limited—a few hours, kids returned to a context where alcohol id readily available and glamorized. Policy approaches try to address the context of drinking..
Grube & Nygaard, 2001; Toomey & Wagenaar, 1999

9. The Environmental Perspective:
Targets the social, physical or public environment where sales/use occurs
Views alcohol and other drug problems not just as individual addiction, but rather as the collective reflection of community norms and practices
Targets are policy makers and others with authority to change environments
Seeks to change physical, legal, economic & social processes of communities

10. The Role of Laws in Environmental Prevention

11. Purpose of Enforcement of Alcohol Policies
Decrease availability of alcohol by increasing economic costs and opportunity costs
Deter drinking, heavy drinking, or drinking-related problem behaviors
Moderate relations between drinking and problem outcomes
In sum, alcohol policy focuses on three processes: (1) decreasing availability of alcohol by increasing the opportunity costs associated with obtaining it, including convenience or opportunity costs.
(2) Reducing consumption or problems through deterrence or increases in costs through penalties or sanctions. In case of minors such costs may include penalties incurred for MIP or attempted purchase.
(3) Decrease involvement in problem behaviors by decreasing relative costs of alternative behaviors (e.g., free rides, public transportation, locating outlets where driving is not required).
The overall goal is to increase the relative full costs

12. Laws
Community Norms

13. Focus on Enforcement Itself

14. Discussion Questions
What are the conditions in your community that require some sort of enforcement action?

15. Levels of Enforcement Institutional Community Society Parent Home
Teacher/Administrator
School
Community
Association/Watch
Neighborhood
Police
City
Sheriff
County
Society
ABC, DPS
State
ATF, TTB
Federal

16. Levels of Enforcement Institutional Community Society Parent Home
Teacher/Administrator
School
Community
Association/Watch
Neighborhood
Police
City
Sheriff
County
Society
ABC
State
ATF, TTB
Federal

17. Only 2 of every 1000 occasions of underage drinking result in arrest
Arrest Rate
Only 2 of every 1000 occasions of
underage drinking result in arrest
Slide # 592
Source: Wagenaar & Wolfson, 1994

18. Action Against Outlets
Only 5 of every 100,000 occasions of
underage drinking result in action
against outlet.
Slide # 593
Source: Wagenaar & Wolfson, 1994

19. Deterrence Theory
Legal threat of punishment encourages or prevents behavior
Punishment must be:
Certain
Swift
Severe
General and specific deterrence

20. Laws are effective when they are perceived as…
Legitimate
Practical
Effective
Proportional to the problem

21. The Role of Coalitions in Promoting Effective Enforcement
Key Coalition Functions:
Include enforcement agency in all deliberations regarding enforcement of policy at the start of the policy process
Build strong organizational and personal relationships with key enforcement personnel
Identify shared self-interest associated with enforcement
Take responsibility for making the case to the community for the importance of enforcement
Creatively collaborate to address enforcement’s financial constraints associated with implementation
Use the media to publically support enforcement activities and give credit to enforcement agency when they are carried out

22. Question
Can you please type into your chat box examples of enforcement strategies you have implemented.

23. A Logic Model for Reducing Underage Drinking…
A Logic Model for Reducing Underage Drinking… The Role of Enforcement in Impacting Alcohol-Related Problems

24. Underage Drinking: Basic Research
Evidence: Population Prevention Effects
Strong
Moderate
Low (target group only)
None (no target or population)
Visible Enforcement
Retail Availability of Alcohol to Youth
Alcohol-Related Problems
(Traffic crashes, Injuries,
School performance. Unsafe sex, Violence, etc.)
Price
Social Availability of Alcohol to Youth
Underage Drinking Laws
Underage Drinking
Drinking Beliefs
Community Norms About Youth
Drinking
Family, School, and Peer Influence
Drinking Context
Alcohol Promotion (Advertising, Point of Sale Promotion , Sponsorship of Community Events)
Holder/Saltz: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation

25. Underage Drinking: Evidence-based Theory of Change
Retailer Training & rewards
Compliance checks, citations, license loss
Retail Sale of alcohol to youth
Underage drinking laws
Visible enforcement
Social availability of alcohol to youth (parties, peers, families)
Underage Drinking
Party patrol,
Shoulder taps,
Beer keg registration
Local alcohol policy
Family, School, & Peer Influence
Community norms about youth drinking
Legal risks for providing alcohol to underage
Media advocacy

26. Does Enforcement Work?

27. Minimum Legal Drinking Age

28. James Fell et al. The Impact of Underage Drinking Laws on Alcohol-Related Fatal Crashes of Young Drivers Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2009
Methods
Analysis of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System from
Examined the effects of the minimum legal drinking age of 21 on the ratio of drinking to non-drinking drivers under age 21 in fatal crashes
Controlled for:
Zero Tolerance Laws
Graduated License Night Restrictions
Use/Lose laws
Administrative License Revocation
.10, .08 BAC per se
Mandatory seat belt laws
Per capita beer consumption
Unemployment rate
Vehicle miles traveled
Frequency of sobriety checkpoints
Number of licensed drivers
Ratio of drinking to non-drinking drivers
Age 26+ in fatal crashes
Ratio of drinking to non-drinking drivers age 26+ in fatal crashes

29. Fell et al., Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2009 (cont)
Results
Minimum legal drinking age was independently associated with a 16% decline in the ratio of drinking to non-drinking drivers in fatal crashes under age 21
Other laws that independently predicted lower involvement of drinking drivers under age 21 in fatal crashes:
Use/Lose laws ↓5%
Zero tolerance laws ↓5%
0.08% BAC limit ↓ 8%
0.10% BAC limit ↓ 7%
Administrative license ↓ 5%
revocation (ALR)
Seat belt laws ↓ 3%

30. Fell et al., Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2009 (cont)
Conclusions
Minimum legal drinking age of 21 reduced involvement of drinking drivers under 21 in fatal crashes (16%)
Zero tolerance laws and Use/Lose laws targeted drivers under 21 also produced reductions
Laws targeting drinking drivers of all ages also reduced involvement of drinking drivers under 21 in fatal crashes (0.08% and .10% BAC limits, ALR, seat belt laws)

31. … but there’s more than just minimum legal drinking age laws!

32. DUI Enforcement General vs specific enforcement Sobriety checkpoints
Saturation patrols
Revocation/suspension
Ignition interlock
Last drink
Check-in programs

33. Sobriety Checkpoints
Restrict traffic flow in a designated area and check drivers for signs of impairment
Primarily general deterrence – increase perceived risk
High visibility – media coverage
Random breath test vs selective
Blitz vs regular
Shults, Elder, Sleet et al (2001)
Review studies from
12 RBT studies: average 18% decrease across outcomes
11 SBT studies: average 20% decrease across outcomes

34. Recently updated previous checkpoint review
Added 15 studies from
10 studies examined alcohol-involved
fatal crashes -> 8.9% decrease
Other 5 studies found decreases in:
% drivers above .08 (28-64%)
alcohol-involved fatalities/VMT (4.6%)
alcohol-involved collisions (19%)
nighttime crashes (22%)
Task Force Finding
“The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends publicized sobriety checkpoint programs based on strong evidence of effectiveness in reducing alcohol-impaired driving.”

35. DUI Checkpoints Key Resource: http://www. nhtsa
DUI Checkpoints Key Resource: Common Challenges
Generating community/political will
Finding overtime dollars for police
Ensuring training on checkpoint best-practices
Supporting development of materials for dissemination at checkpoint
Ensuring visibility -- using media to publicize checkpoints before and after event

36. Upstream DUI Enforcement
It is too late once an intoxicated individual gets behind the wheel
It is difficult to identify and apprehend intoxicated drivers
It has been estimated that less than 1/1000 DUI trips results in an arrest (Miller, Spicer, Levy, & Lestina, 1998)
Car crashes are but one of the many negative health consequences associated with intoxication
Focusing exclusively on DUI enforcement may send the message that, as long as someone is not driving, it is OK to get intoxicated

37. Have your coalition/group participated in sobriety checkpoints?
Poll #2
Have your coalition/group participated in sobriety checkpoints?
Yes No

38. Underage Compliance Checks
Sting or Decoy buys
Police hire an underage (<21 years old) individual to attempt to purchase alcohol
If an illegal sale is made, citation issued to either the seller or the establishment
Penalty may vary from warning to a fine to a liquor license suspension/revocation (usually depending on previous citations)

39. Compliance Check Effectiveness
Growing research literature that compliance checks are effective
CDC conducted a review of studies that examined ‘enhanced enforcement’ – programs that increased or intended to increase frequency of compliance checks
8 studies from
all 8 studies examined sales to a decoy
average 42% reduction
3 studies examined alcohol consumption
20% reduction
2-7% reduction
4-6% relative decrease

40. Compliance Check Effectiveness
Task Force Finding
“The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends enhanced enforcement of laws prohibiting sale of alcohol to minors, on the basis of sufficient evidence of effectiveness in limiting underage alcohol purchases. Further research will be required to assess the degree to which these changes in retailer behavior affect underage drinking.”
source: Elder, Lawrence, Janes, et al. (2007). Enhanced enforcement of laws prohibiting sale of alcohol to minors: systematic review of effectiveness for reducing sales and underage drinking. Transportation Research E-Circular 2007;Issue E-C123:181-8.

41. Compliance Checks Key Resource: http://www. udetc
Compliance Checks Key Resource: Common Challenges
Generating community/political support
Generating police support
Finding overtime dollars for police
Convincing state Liquor Control to partner
Building support for prosecuting violators

42. Has your coalition/group supported or sponsored compliance check?
Poll #3
Has your coalition/group supported or sponsored compliance check?
Yes No

43. Party Patrols/Social Host Laws

44. Problem Setting: Residential Parties
Party Patrols/Social Host Laws
Problem Setting: Residential Parties
Son held drunken party for 600 friends after banishing parents to bedroom of their multi-million-dollar mansion
By Mail Foreign Service UPDATED: 20:55 EST, 14 October 2010

45. Intent of Social Host Policies
Change community CULTURE and CONDITIONS
Change the FOCUS from underage drinker to provider/enabler
Decrease PROVISION
Decrease furnishing alcohol to an underage person
Change CONTEXT and SETTING
Deter underage drinking parties

46. Social Host: the Evidence
Viewed as a useful tool by law enforcement officers (Oceanside, CA and Vista, CA—see Evalcorp, 2009a)
May result in changes in youth norms related to the riskiness of drinking (Long Beach City, NY—unpublished data)
May result in fewer calls for service, either overall, or related to disturbances. For example, Petaluma, CA had 9.3% fewer calls for service related to disturbances from the year prior to passage (2006) to the second year after passage (2009) (Petaluma, CA—unpublished data).
San Diego County had 8% fewer disturbance calls from the year preceding passage (2002) to the year following passage (2004) of its SHO (UDETC, 2003)

47. Party Patrols
Enforcement strategy that targeting community high priority underage drinking party areas.
arranged to both deter parties (through LE visibility) and find and address parties that are going on (through LE action).
Law enforcement reports that party patrols can be effective deterrents if there are existing laws on the books that hold adults or other responsible parties accountable for underage drinking parties in homes.
Are an important part of any community intervention to prevent underage and high risk drinking. They do tackle the high risk environments of home parties that we are describing and there is a strong evidence base behind them. These enforcement strategies, however, are only as good as the level of enforcement, visibility/community engagement (HV) and the policies that support them. Regarding home parties, for example, without policies that hold adults accountable for underage drinking taking place in their home, law enforcement often struggle to address and deter underage drinking parties in their community.

48. Party Dispersal
An ongoing party is often difficult for officers to “break it up” with maximum impact on deterring underage parties from happening in the future and preventing teens from fleeing the scene.
Party dispersal training gives officers and departments a strong foundation to systematically address parties and hold underage drinkers and providers responsible.

49. Landlord Lease Agreements
Language that landlords include in leases that prohibit underage parties from occurring.
There are often fines and penalties that escalate to eviction.
Can effectively reduce the number of rental properties in which loud and unruly parties occur; if, strongly enforced and adopted by all/most landlords.

50. Party Patrols/Social Host Laws Key Resource: http://www. udetc
Party Patrols/Social Host Laws Key Resource: Common Challenges
Identifying/adopting policy to enforce
Generating community/political support for policy
Generating police support to use resources
Finding overtime dollars for police
Training law enforcement to use enforcement techniques
Building support for prosecuting violators

51. Has your coalition/group supported or sponsored party patrols?
Poll #4
Has your coalition/group supported or sponsored party patrols?
Yes No

52. Poll #5
Has your coalition/group supported or sponsored the adoption of a social host ordinance?
Yes No

53. Three Enforcement Strategies Frequently Used By Coalitions
Compliance checks for sales to minors at off-premise outlets
Party patrols/social host laws
DUI checkpoints

54. Which of these strategies are you most interested in considering?
Poll #6
Which of these strategies are you most interested in considering?
DUI Checkpoints
Party Patrols
Social Host Laws
Compliance Checks
Landlord Lease Agreements
WHY?????

55. Questions About Enforcement Strategies to Reduce Alcohol Related Problems?

56. Safer California Universities Project Goal:
To evaluate the efficacy of a “Risk Management” approach to alcohol problem prevention
NIAAA grant #R01 AA12516 with support from CSAP/SAMHSA.
Bob Saltz:
Prevention Research Center

57. Integrated Intervention Strategies for Off-Campus Parties
Compliance Checks
DUI Check Points
Party Patrols
Pass Social Host “Response Cost” Ordinance
A Social Host Safe Party Campaign

58. Practical Significance
At each campus, 900 fewer students drinking to intoxication at off-campus parties and 600 fewer getting drunk at bars/restaurants during the fall semester at intervention schools relative to controls.
Equivalent to 6,000 fewer incidents of intoxication at off-campus parties and 4,000 fewer incidents at bars & restaurants during the fall semester at Safer intervention schools relative to controls

59. In addition… No Displacement

60. So…What are the Implications for Your Coalition?

61. Thank You!