![handle is hein.journals/jexpcrm4 and id is 1 raw text is: J Exp Criminol (2008) 4:1-19
DOI 10.1007/si1292-007-9048-7
Drunk and dangerous: a randomised controlled trial
of alcohol brief intervention for violent offenders
Kerrianne Watt - Jonathan Shepherd-
Robert Newcombe
Published online: 18 December 2007
O Springer Science + Business Media B.V 2007
Abstract To assess the effectiveness of an alcohol brief intervention administered to
violent offenders in a judicial (Magistrates' court) setting, a randomised controlled
trial was conducted. Participants (n=269) were men aged 16-35 years, who resided
within a 30-mile radius of Cardiff, UK, and who had been sentenced for a violent
offence committed whilst intoxicated with alcohol. Recruitment occurred on-site.
Participants were randomly allocated to receive an alcohol brief intervention (n=
135) or to a control group (n=134). Objective measures comprised re-offending and
injury rates. Self-reported outcome measures comprised Alcohol Use Disorders
Identification Test (AUDIT); number of drinking days in the past 3 months; total
weekly standard units of alcohol; and stage of change with respect to alcohol
consumption (as measured by the Readiness to Change Questionnaire). Participants
were followed up 3 months (n=234; 87%) and 12 months (n=202; 75.1%) after
sentence. No significant between-group differences were observed in any of the
alcohol measures or in re-offending. Injury was significantly less likely in offenders
who had received the intervention (27.4%) than those who had not [39.6%; 95%
confidence interval (CI)=-0.23, -0.009]. At 3-month follow-up, significantly more
participants in the intervention group (31%; n=37) than control group (16%; n=18)
demonstrated an increase in their readiness to change drinking behaviour (X2=8.56;
df=2; P=0.014), but this did not persist at 12-month follow-up.
Keywords Alcohol - Brief interventions - Randomised controlled trial - Violence
K. Watt (E)
Australian Centre for PreHospital Research, Queensland Ambulance Service, P.O. Box 1425,
Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
e-mail: kwatt@emergency.qld.gov.au
J. Shepherd
Violence Research Group, School of Dentistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
R. Newcombe
School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
e Springer](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/jexpcrm4&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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