ST. GEORGE — Cities throughout Utah say it's difficult to compile data about those arrested and convicted for drunken driving.
In St. George, city prosecutor Larry Meyers spent several hours looking at a random sampling of closed DUI cases in Utah's southwesternmost corner to determine what's happening to DUI offenders there.
His survey of 116 cases — 106 from 2000 or 2001, and 10 from 1997-1999 — showed the following:
97 (84 percent) were first offenses.
19 (16 percent) were second offenses.
96 (83 percent) pleaded guilty/no contest or were found guilty of DUI.
19 (17 percent) pleaded guilty/no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving or some other lesser offense.
17 (15 percent) were not required to serve any jail time.
67 (58 percent) were ordered to serve at least two days in jail.
13 (11 percent) were ordered to serve at least 10 days in jail.
12 (10 percent) were ordered to home confinement with electronic monitoring.
2 (2 percent) were ordered to serve jail time but were given full credit for time spent in inpatient rehabilitation.
All second-time offenders convicted in the past two years were ordered to have an ignition interlock system on any vehicle they own. The 2000 Legislature passed a law requiring ignition lock devices on the cars of repeat DUI offenders, but judges in Utah have been slow to order the devices, which require the driver to breathe into a Breathalyzer and pass that test before the car can be turned on.
Meyers said he does not know how many drivers of the 116 cases have reoffended since their sentencing. "Probably very few," Meyers said, "as most of the cases are recent.
"In my opinion, the prospect of serving jail time on first or second offenses does not have a strong deterrent effect," he said. "It does have the positive effect of keeping the offenders off the streets for a short time and of punishing them for their crimes."
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