Drunk Driving is Not a Serious Offense

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Recommended: stricter laws for drunk driving

Driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) has become an issue of national concern, a both state and federal levels (2Githens and Sloan 403). Hearty fines, jail time and a revoking of the convict’s license follow most DUI offenses. DUI penalties need to be decreased and cause of conviction needs to be addressed, because people who are not criminals are going to jail, and enduring insurance fees even though these punishments have been shown to not decrease drinking and driving. Officers are given too much discretion to choose who get convicted, and who doesn’t, being convicted of a DUI can be life changing and should not be taken lightly.

Most DUI offenses are detected as a result of direct observation of suspicious behavior, which is up to the discretion of the police officer observing the situation. In police initiated stops, the officer is the only witness to see the violation and is given great power in deciding to pull over the driver or not (Mastrofski, Ritti and Snipes 113-148). The police officer also decides if the law will be enforced or not. The main issue with this is that discrimination could occur very easily, because police can be persuaded by certain factors, including race and gender, to decide whether to arrest the driver or not. Police ethnographies suggest that the decision to arrest for common offenses is viewed by officers as part of there everyday work, whereas their superior officers tend to view an arrest as a “product”, which contributes to the departments identity, its effectiveness, and efficiency (Mastrofski, Ritti and Snipes 115). Differences in views suggest that the officers out on the street are looking for people to pull over instead of looking for people that they can assist, as the...

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..." Philosophy and Public Affairs 1st ser. 23 (1994): 52-73. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.

Jones, James D. "Identifying and Prosecuting Persons for Driving under the Influence of Drugs." Public Health Reports 6th ser. 102 (1987): 627-29. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.

Mastrofski, Stephen D., Richard R. Ritti, and Jeffrey B. Snipes. "Expectancy Theory and Police Productivity in DUI Enforcement." Law & Society Review 1st ser. 28 (1994): 113-48. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.

Ross, Laurence H. "The Neutralization of Severe Penalties: Some Traffic Law Studies." Law & Society 3rd ser. 10 (1976): 403-13. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.

Rubenzer, Steven J. "The Standardized Field Sobriety Tests: A Review of Scientific and Legal Issues." Law and Human

Sloan, Frank A., and Penny B. Githens. "Drinking, Driving, and the Price of Automobile Insurance." The Journal of Risk and Insurance 61.1 (1994): 33-58. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.

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