Do Victim Impact Panels Have Sustained Effects on DUI Recidivism?

Abstract

This study examines whether Victim Impact Panels reduce DUI recidivism 5 to 8 years postsentence. Original 2-year data on 410 DUI offenders who attended a Victim Impact Panel and 373 DUI offenders from the same court system who did not attend a Victim Impact Panel indicated slight recidivism reduction effects. Logistic regression results at the 5-year period reveal that not attending a Victim Impact panel increases the odds of another DUI by a factor of 1.5 with an upper 95% confidence odds level of 2.2. At the 8-year mark, non-VIP participants were 1.8 times more likely to record another DUI with an upper 95% confidence odds level of 2.6. Offenders with a prior DUI who attended a Victim Impact Panel had significantly lower recidivism rates after 8 years relative to non-attendees. Prior research suggested that males in the 26–35-year age group benefitted more from Victim Impact Panel participation. These data indicate that the effects of age are relatively uniform across male age groups. Overall, these recidivism results indicate that the emotional messages communicated by victims to DUI offenders might carry sustained effects.