Publications by authors named "Vern Westerberg"
Developing a smartphone web app to help DWI offenders and their families.
J Subst Use Addict Treat
January 2025
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on developing a smartphone-web app aimed at supporting DWI offenders and their concerned family members (CFMs) during and after the use of ignition interlock devices (IIDs).
- Key findings from interviews and focus groups revealed that both DWI offenders and CFMs face challenges such as a lack of information, financial strain, and the importance of supportive communication, leading to the creation of four app modules.
- Usability testing showed that the app was user-friendly and met the needs of its target audience, highlighting the need for further research to assess its effectiveness.
Objective: The probability of re-arrest for driving while intoxicated (DWI) is compared for four different groups of individuals classified by whether the individual was convicted and, if so, the type of sentence received.
Method: Subsequent re-arrests for DWI were examined for all individuals whose index arrest for DWI had occurred between 1994 and 2001 in a county in New Mexico. The groups included (1) those convicted as a result of the index arrest and sentenced to a 28-day jail/treatment program (N (#)=(#) 2,703); (2) all those not convicted as a result of the index arrest (N = 709); (3) those who were convicted but not sentenced to jail (N = 1,047); and (4) those convicted and sentenced to jail (N = 1,290).